Public Law 115–249: To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for the protection of community centers with religious affiliation, and for other purposes.Public Law249Public Law 115–249132 Stat. 31622018-09-282018-09-28United States Government Publishing OfficeNational Archives and Records AdministrationOffice of the Federal Registertext/xmlENPursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.GPO Locator to USLM Converter 4.15.31;Stage2.202507022026-01-02115publicPUBLIC LAW 115–249—SEPT. 28, 2018132 STAT. 3162Public Law115–249115th CongressAn ActTo amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for the protection of community centers with religious affiliation, and for other purposes.
Sept. 28, 2018
[S. 994]
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018.
18 USC 1 note.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018”.SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF COMMUNITY CENTERS WITH RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION.Section 247 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—(1) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting after “threat of force,” the following: “including by threat of force against religious real property,”;(2) in subsection (d)—(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “or (c)” after “subsection (a)”;(B) in paragraph (3), by striking “and” at the end;(C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and(D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:“(4) if damage to or destruction of property results from the acts committed in violation of this section, which damage to or destruction of such property is in an amount that exceeds $5,000, a fine in accordance with this title, imprisonment for not more than 3 years, or both; and”; and132 STAT. 3163(3) in subsection (f), by inserting before the period at the end the following: “, or real property owned or leased by a nonprofit, religiously affiliated organization”.ApprovedSeptember 28, 2018.LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 994 (H.R. 1730):HOUSE REPORTS: ┐No. 115–456 (Comm. on the Judiciary) accompanying H.R. 1730.
SENATE REPORTS: ┐No. 115–325 (Comm. on the Judiciary).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018):