[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3957 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3957

   To protect freedom of speech exercisable by houses of worship or 
                meditation and affiliated organizations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2006

  Mr. Inhofe introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To protect freedom of speech exercisable by houses of worship or 
                meditation and affiliated organizations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Religious Freedom Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH FOR HOUSES OF WORSHIP OR 
              MEDITATION.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no 
organization described in subsection (b) may be denied its Federal tax 
exemption under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by administrative or 
judicial action, nor shall donors to such organization be denied the 
deductibility of their contributions under such Code, because such 
organization engages in an activity that is protected by the United 
States Constitution, including comment on public issues, election 
contests, and pending legislation made in the theological or 
philosophical context of such organization.
    (b) Houses of Worship or Meditation and Affiliated Organizations.--
For purposes of subsection (a), an organization described in this 
subsection is a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other house of 
worship or meditation (including any organization affiliated with any 
of the foregoing)--
            (1) with an established form of worship or meditation and a 
        recognizable creed that minimally acknowledges the right of 
        others to freely accept or reject such form and creed, and
            (2) which meets 2 or more of the following indicia: 
        definite and distinct ecclesiastical government; formal code of 
        doctrine and discipline; distinct religious history; membership 
        not axiomatically associated with any other organization; 
        organization of ordained ministers; ordained ministers selected 
        after completing prescribed courses of study; a literature of 
        its own; established places of worship or meditation; regular 
        congregations; regular religious services; classes for the 
        religious instruction of youth or seniors or both; auxiliaries 
        to provide relief and sustenance to the poor and deprived; and 
        auxiliaries to provide youth with morally-structured community 
        service and supervised opportunities to compete in sport and 
        intellect-expanding activities as an alternative to destructive 
        behavior such as crime and drug use.
    (c) Construction.--This section shall not be construed so as to 
exempt any organization described in subsection (b) from the operation 
of any other law generally applicable to all organizations and 
individuals.
                                 <all>