[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1026-E1027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE CHURCH INSURANCE PROTECTION ACT OF 1997--NOT ALL THREATS HAVE BEEN 
                              EXTINGUISHED

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 1997

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Congresswoman Cynthia 
McKinney of Georgia in defense of our Nation's sacred houses of worship 
to reintroduce the Church Insurance Protection Act [CIPA].
  In the 104th Congress, the gentlelady from Georgia, Ms. McKinney and 
I first introduced this legislation, H.R. 3830, to prohibit insurance 
companies from canceling, over-pricing, or refusing to renew fire 
insurance policies for any house of worship.
  We introduced this legislation in the spirit of H.R. 3525, the Church 
Arson Prevention Act of 1996, which passed the House of Representatives 
in a rare unanimous vote. It was our obligation to deter the flames of 
bigotry and ignorance which set these churches ablaze, and the House's 
efforts served to deter the epidemic assault on our Nation's houses of 
worship.
  However, while the embers of the destroyed churches were still 
smoldering, certain unscrupulous insurers were threatening to cancel or 
not renew the fire insurance policies of some churches simply because 
of the perceived ``increased risk'' of arson.
  One year later little has changed, and our churches continue to face 
the real threat of losing their fire insurance policies.
  While we must continue our efforts to prevent future arson fires and 
to rebuild the

[[Page E1027]]

churches destroyed by the fires, we must also be certain to protect 
their ability to insure themselves against this violence in the future. 
We cannot allow the insurer's fear of a claim to remove a 
congregation's ability to adequately protect its house of worship and 
support buildings. Our churches must be held harmless and not subject 
to punitive measures from the insurance companies.
  By prohibiting policy cancellations, the Church Insurance Protection 
Act will extinguish the final smoldering ember that continues to 
threaten our churches long after the fires were put out.
  We are currently joined in our efforts by 18 of our colleagues and we 
are confident that this number will grow as more become familiar with 
the continued need for this important legislation. We urge our 
colleagues to act promptly to bring this important legislation to the 
full House for consideration.
  America's houses of prayer are sacred places, and they deserve this 
protection.

                          ____________________