FederalHB1954directIntroduced

Do No Harm Act

Introduced
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became Law

Overview

This bill amends the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to limit religious exemptions when they would harm third parties or violate civil rights laws. It constrains the scope of religious liberty defenses in cases involving employment, housing, public accommodations, and other protected categories.

Why it matters: Christian families and organizations could face increased legal vulnerability when asserting faith-based conscience objections—for example, religious schools, adoption agencies, or employers might find it harder to maintain faith-aligned policies if courts determine they 'harm' third parties or conflict with civil rights statutes.

Topic: Religious freedom & expression · classifier confidence 92%

What this changes

Amends existing law

Law today: The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) currently allows individuals and entities to seek exemptions from generally applicable laws if those laws substantially burden their religious exercise, unless the government has a compelling interest and uses the least restrictive means.

If passed: This bill would amend RFRA to add a requirement that religious exemptions cannot be granted if they would cause meaningful harm to third parties or infringe on their civil rights. This would limit when religious exemptions can be claimed in situations affecting other people's access to services, employment, housing, education, or healthcare.

AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.

Likely supporters & opponents

Likely support

Civil-liberties organizations — Religious freedom should not override others' right to equal treatment and access to goods and services.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups — This prevents religious exemptions from being used to deny services or opportunities based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Medical associations — Religious exemptions should not compromise patients' access to standard medical care and treatment options.

Likely opposition

Religious-liberty advocacy organizations — This amendment would effectively eliminate meaningful religious exemptions by allowing any impact on others to override sincere religious exercise.
Faith-based institutions and organizations — This restricts the ability of religious employers, schools, and charities to operate according to their doctrinal beliefs.
Homeschool and Christian education advocacy groups — This could enable government to compel religious schools and families to act against their faith convictions in the name of preventing harm to third parties.

AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.

Should I support this?

Likely harmful for Christian families

For Christian families, this bill would substantially weaken religious freedom protections by allowing broad claims of 'harm to third parties' to override sincere religious exercise. It would make it harder for Christian employers, schools, and organizations to operate faithfully and could compel religious families to participate in activities contrary to their convictions.

An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.

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Official summary

To amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to protect civil rights and otherwise prevent meaningful harm to third parties, and for other purposes.

Status timeline

2025-03-06Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.H
2025-03-06Introduced in HouseH

H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly