[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 201 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9773-H9777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       PROTECTING RELIGIOUSLY AFFILIATED INSTITUTIONS ACT OF 2017

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1730) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for 
the protection of community centers with religious affiliation, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1730

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

[[Page H9774]]

  


     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Religiously 
     Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017''.

     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 paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
       (C) 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 and 
     imprisonment for not more than 3 years, or both; and''; and
       (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''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1730, currently 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act 
of 2017 is a bill designed to address recent attacks on religious 
institutions. It amends the Church Arson Prevention Act to clarify that 
the act covers religious real property, such as religious community 
centers. It also increases the penalty for destruction of property 
offenses on religious property where the conduct results in more than 
$5,000 in damages to the property.
  This legislation is a direct response to the recent onslaught of bomb 
threats to various synagogues, mosques, churches, and religious 
community centers. In 2017, there have been more than 100 reported bomb 
threats against Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools, and other 
Jewish organizations and institutions in more than 38 States. Islamic 
centers and mosques have been burned in the States of Texas, 
Washington, and Florida. We must send the message that any attempt to 
instill fear in a religious community will not be tolerated.
  From its inception, our country has recognized that freedom of 
religion is a fundamental right. It is just as important to protect 
this right today, if not more so. We must continue to ensure that the 
American people can continue to practice their faith without 
obstruction.
  I commend Representative David Kustoff and Representative Derek 
Kilmer for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support 
this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in favor of the legislation. I want to thank the honorable 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for his leadership on this and 
also salute Representatives Kustoff and Kilmer for their introduction 
of this legislation.
  It is important legislation, Mr. Speaker, because it extends 
protections under current Federal law for religious real property. We 
know there is no religious free exercise for our people if they are too 
afraid to go to church or to synagogue or to the mosque.
  Currently, section 247 of the Federal criminal code prohibits both 
the damaging of religious property because of the property's religious 
character and the intentional obstruction--by force or threats of 
force--of anyone's exercise of their religious beliefs.
  H.R. 1730 clarifies that not just force but threats of force against 
religious property are included in this prohibition.

                              {time}  1730

  In addition, the bill provides that the damaging or obstructing of 
such property that results in damages exceeding $5,000 constitutes a 
felony punishable by up to 3 years in prison.
  Finally, H.R. 1730 clarifies that real property covered by the 
statute includes property leased by a nonprofit, religiously affiliated 
organization.
  The importance of the bill, of course, is underscored by the recent 
upsurge, as Mr. Goodlatte said, in bomb threats, hate crimes, and 
vandalism committed against churches, synagogues, mosques, and other 
communities of faith, a wave of hate that is now etched in the public's 
mind by the shocking events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August, 
which began at a local synagogue.
  The Hate Crimes Statistics for 2016 released by the FBI indicate that 
anti-Semitic hate crimes increased 20 percent from the prior year. 
There has been an alarming surge committed not just against synagogues, 
but against churches and mosques in 2017.
  We know that violent attacks against religious facilities have always 
accompanied waves of racial terror in our history. In the 1960s, 
African-American churches in many parts of the country were vandalized, 
fire bombed, and burned during the struggle for civil rights in the 
South. In the 1990s, there was a resurgence of arsons committed against 
African-American churches. In response, Congress passed the Church 
Arson Prevention Act in 1996 to make it clear that such behavior was 
also on the wrong side of the law.
  Yet, in 2017, here we are again, facing another rise in hate crimes. 
We must do more to prevent and fight these threats to our most basic 
First Amendment freedoms that our people have, including the right of 
our citizens to practice their religion of choice.
  While some may disagree with the religious practice of others, what 
they may not do is use physical obstruction, force, or threats of force 
to deny other people the right to worship as they choose. No American 
should ever have to choose between their faith and their personal 
security and the safety of their family. Therefore, I strongly support 
H.R. 1730, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff), the chief sponsor of this 
legislation.
  Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 1730, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 
2017. I introduced this bipartisan bill with the support of my friend, 
Representative Derek Kilmer of Washington State. Our legislation is 
essential in safeguarding religious institutions of all kinds from 
atrocious threats and acts of violence.
  Earlier this year, we saw a disturbing rise in bomb threats at Jewish 
community centers, churches, and other religious institutions across 
the country. Our communities were in distress as cemeteries were 
vandalized because of their religious affiliation.
  This kind of hate crime is simply unacceptable. After all, religious 
tolerance is the bedrock on which this great Nation was founded.
  According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, the number of 
anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased dramatically, by 
86 percent, in the first 3 months of 2017. We can attribute this year's 
increase to 155 vandalism incidents, including three cemetery 
desecrations and 161 hoax bomb threats against religious community 
centers. This is a dramatic increase of 127 percent over the same 
quarter in 2016.
  On November 13, 2017, the FBI released its 2016 annual Hate Crime 
Statistics Act data documents. The study found that more than 100 hate 
crimes occurred at churches in the United States in 2016 alone.
  Unfortunately, hate crimes motivated by religious affiliations 
accounted for 1,538 total offenses and 1,273 incidents that were 
reported by law enforcement.
  Hate crimes do not just hurt one person. They cause great distress to 
our families, communities, and society as a

[[Page H9775]]

whole. In my own home State of Tennessee, we, sadly, experienced 
multiple bomb threats at a local Jewish community center. These events 
shook the entire community.
  In addition to the fear inflicted upon these institutions after a 
threat, there are tangible ramifications for the centers. Many 
community centers and places of worship are forced to temporarily close 
their doors as a result of these threats.
  Families who rely on the center's services, such as Bible study and 
early childhood education programs, have been forced to choose between 
their faith community and their safety. Here, in the United States of 
America, people should not have to make that choice. Our Nation was 
founded on the idea of religious freedom, and our commitment to 
religious freedom must remain unshakable. It is time we say enough is 
enough. Religious intolerance has no place in this country.
  The Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017 would 
ensure that individuals who make credible threats of violence against 
religious community centers and places of worship can be prosecuted for 
committing a hate crime under Federal law.
  This bipartisan bill strengthens Federal criminal statutes to prevent 
threats while preserving our First Amendment rights. It is our moral 
imperative to protect the right of all Americans to worship freely and 
without fear, a right that is sewn into our Nation's very fabric. We 
must strongly condemn any acts of hate against people and all 
institutions of faith.
  I thank Representative Kilmer for his hard work on this legislation. 
I am proud of this bipartisan effort that we have led. I also thank all 
of the cosponsors of this bill and Chairman Goodlatte for his 
leadership on the Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very 
important legislation.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the 
American Jewish Committee and a letter from the Anti-Defamation League.

                                  AJC, Global Jewish Advocacy,

                                 Washington, DC, November 1, 2017.
     Hon. Robert Goodlatte,
     Chairman.
     Hon. John Conyers,
     Ranking Member, House Committee on the Judiciary, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers: I write 
     on behalf of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global 
     Jewish advocacy organization, in strong support of H.R. 1730, 
     the Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 2017 (which we understand 
     will be renamed the Protecting Religiously Affiliated 
     Institutions Act of 2017).
       This critically needed bipartisan legislation, introduced 
     by Rep. David Kustoff with Rep. Derek Kilmer as chief 
     cosponsor, addresses long-standing gaps in Federal hate 
     crimes law. H.R. 1730 amends the Church Arson Prevention Act 
     of 1996 (18 U.S.C. Sec. 241) (CAPA), which covers attacks on 
     religious real property, to bring all religiously affiliated 
     institutions--such as community centers--under the scope of 
     its protections. The bill also amends CAPA so as to encompass 
     threats against, as well as acts that result in damage or 
     destruction to, religious real property. Further, H.R. 1730 
     enhances the penalty for intentional damage to religious real 
     property, which is at the moment only at a misdemeanor level 
     unless there is bodily injury to a person.
       In addition to closing these gaps in the law, enactment of 
     H.R. 1730 will send a signal of zero tolerance for hate 
     crimes against people of faith. Hate crimes against religious 
     institutions are on the rise in our country. Since January 
     2017, at least five mosques have suffered arson attacks, 
     while dozens of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other 
     religious institutions have been vandalized. These attacks 
     are intolerable. They infringe on the Constitution's 
     protection of the free exercise of religion. Moreover, crimes 
     against religious institutions are intended to create an 
     atmosphere of fear that deters community members from 
     attending worship services and social involvement. They pose 
     a danger to the religious freedom and security of all 
     Americans. In light of the violent anti-Semitic and racist 
     white nationalist rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, 
     this legislation is more important than ever. We as a nation 
     must take action in response.
       For these reasons, AJC strongly urges your support for, and 
     speedy action on, the Combating Anti-Semitism Act.
           Respectfully,
     Richard Foltin.
                                  ____

         ADL, Anti-Defamation League,
                                      New York, NY, April 6, 2017.
     Hon. David Kustoff,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Kustoff: On behalf of the Anti-
     Defamation League, I am writing to commend you for your 
     leadership in introducing the Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 
     2017 to help ensure that our government is taking every 
     possible step to protect members of America's religious 
     communities.
       Rising anti-Semitic incidents and the recent spate of bomb 
     threats and vandalism against Jewish community institutions 
     and cemeteries have sent a chilling message to the Jewish 
     community.
       When Members of Congress stand up to take action, 
     communities targeted by hate motivated incidents and threats 
     feel less vulnerable and isolated. This expression of 
     solidarity and act of reassurance, in turn, shines a 
     spotlight on anti-Semitism and bigotry and helps to promote a 
     more effective response.
       We look forward to the swift passage of this bill to 
     reassure faith communities that the government is using all 
     possible tools to deter future threats and to prosecute the 
     perpetrators.
       Anti-Semitism and bigotry are affecting countries all over 
     the world, and the U.S. is no exception. But the rigor of 
     America's response, the solidarity we demonstrate for each 
     other across diverse communities, and the leadership of 
     lawmakers like you is a model for the world.
           Sincerely,
                                              Jonathan Greenblatt,
                                                              CEO.

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Kilmer), the distinguished coauthor of this 
legislation.
  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, on February 27 of this year, about 250 men, 
women, and children gathered at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on 
Mercer Island in my home State of Washington.
  It was a regular evening. The center was alive. People were swimming 
laps in the pool. They were lifting weights in the gym. Seniors were 
taking classes like the popular one on Bollywood dancing the center 
offers on Monday nights. They were assembling peacefully, united by 
their common faith. Then, they were targeted because of it.
  On that night, a man, cowardly hiding behind the anonymity of a 
telephone, called in a bomb threat on the center. Children and their 
parents and seniors dropped everything and were evacuated as the police 
swept it with dogs.
  How did we get to the point where places people come to take an 
aerobics class or drop off a child for Hebrew school become flash 
points of hate?
  The threat to this center is, sadly, not unique. In the first 3 
months of this year alone, there were 126 bomb threats called in to 85 
Jewish community centers across the country. Imagine the disruption and 
the fear created by that.
  Let's talk about the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, an 
organization that advocates for peace and provides classes and 
community activities and funds scholarships to Seattle-area students.
  In 2006, a man walked into the federation's offices with two 
handguns. He fired shots through the office after gaining access by 
holding a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint as she called her aunt who 
worked in the building to buzz her in. He killed one woman and wounded 
a group of others. He then took them hostage, and a 911 operator talked 
him into surrendering.
  Places of worship and faith-based nonprofits must take any threat 
seriously. Across the country, because of threats of violence, 
churches, mosques, synagogues, and nonprofit religious community 
centers associated with them must spend money that could have gone to 
classes, gym equipment, or food for the poor, instead, on locks, 
cameras, and security guards.
  Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. Today is a victory for 
everyday people who come to a Representative with a problem and who are 
hurt.
  Earlier this year, a friend from Washington State, who is here with 
us today, came to me and said: These threats are hate crimes. We are 
being targeted because of our faith. But unless someone acts on the 
threat, it doesn't count as a hate crime under the law.
  That is how this bill came to be. This bill is about people coming to 
their elected Representatives and being heard.
  H.R. 1730 will amend the Church Arson Prevention Act to punish the 
cowards who make threats against our places of worship and religiously 
affiliated nonprofits. It will classify the act of making credible 
threats as hate crimes.
  What happened in my State wasn't a fluke. The FBI has reported a rise 
in hate crimes. This affects every faith.

[[Page H9776]]

There were an average of 16 hate crimes per day last year. American 
Jews were targeted with bomb threats. Islamic centers have faced arson. 
Christians have faced threats in the pews as they pray. This doesn't 
count the credible threats that I mentioned earlier that create chaos 
and make people feel as though they are targets for no other reason 
than the God to whom they worship.
  So, Mr. Speaker, today is about coming together as Americans and 
saying enough is enough. It is about communities crying out, ``Never 
again,'' and being heard by this body. It is about saying, as leaders, 
that we must never endorse hate.
  Silence in the face of intolerance and violent threats isn't enough. 
We must condemn hate wherever and however it exists. Mr. Speaker, this 
is about the people of the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the 
faithful everywhere who should never have to fear.
  Around this country, around this world, too many families have been 
impacted by religious intolerance and violence. Even my own family's 
family tree has felt that scourge.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dunn). The time of the gentleman has 
expired.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Washington an 
additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, this bill acknowledges that, when someone 
tries to terrorize Americans based on their faith, we need to stand up 
and do something about it. We must embrace our common humanity and 
ensure that Americans, wherever they pray, however they come together, 
are respected.
  I thank everyone who has worked on this: my colleague, the chairman, 
and his committee staff; and Rachel Appleton from my team.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), a member of the Judiciary 
Committee.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of rights listed in 
our Bill of Rights. In the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, there 
are five rights that are mentioned. The first right in the First 
Amendment is mentioned first, in my opinion, because it is the most 
important right, and that is the right of religious freedom.
  If you notice the wording in that right, it protects the right to 
freely exercise one's religion. It is more than believe whatever you 
want to believe religiously. You have the right to practice your 
religion and freely exercise it. Wise words from the Founders and the 
writers of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
  Now we have a situation in our country where that right is being 
threatened. Even this morning, the attempted terror attack should 
remind us that we need to be vigilant of the war on terror because 
people, in the name of terror, commit crimes against other Americans 
because they hate them. They hate their religion and what they stand 
for.
  This year, more than 100 bomb threats and other threats of violence 
have been made against 81 Jewish community centers. A Jewish community 
center is not the synagogue, but sometimes it is close to it. It is 
where the Jewish kids and adults go for community.
  There have been over 100 bomb threats just this year against 81 
Jewish community centers in 33 States. Many of these centers were 
forced to close because of the threat that was made against them.

                              {time}  1745

  These attacks are clearly directed at these facilities due to the 
religious nature of the buildings and the religious activities that go 
on there.
  Despite this fact, terroristic threats against community religious 
centers are currently not punished as hate crimes under Federal law.
  This bipartisan legislation would amend the Church Arson Prevention 
Act to ensure that other individuals, who make bomb threats and other 
credible threats of violence against community religious centers based 
on the religious nature of that center, can be prosecuted under our law 
as a hate crime.
  The bill also adds new language that would create a penalty of up to 
5 years imprisonment if any violation of the statute results in damage 
or destruction to the property.
  We must make it abundantly clear that we will not tolerate acts of 
violence and hate against any group in America, especially religious 
groups. It is incumbent upon us, as Congress, to make sure that the 
First Amendment is protected, and that is our job: to protect religious 
freedom.
  I urge support of this legislation, and I thank the chairman for 
bringing it to the floor.
  And that is just the way it is.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Schneider), my colleague on the House Judiciary 
Committee.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, protecting the right of every American to 
practice their religion is a fundamental tenet of our Constitution. 
That includes defending the security of churches, synagogues, mosques, 
temples, and other religiously affiliated institutions where Americans 
gather together to follow their faith.
  This year, we have seen the troubling rise in anti-Semitic incidents 
in the United States, including bomb threats, vandalism, and cemetery 
desecrations. One of the most frequent targets have been Jewish 
community centers, or JCCs, including in my home State of Illinois, 
including the one in my very own community where my kids attended and 
played basketball and other sports to connect with their community.
  These despicable threats aim to sow fear in families and communities. 
And they target our most vulnerable children in preschool, Hebrew 
school, or teens simply coming together to make friends.
  Mr. Speaker, no parent in America should have to worry about the 
safety of their family because of their faith, yet current Federal law 
does not consider threats against community religious centers as hate 
crimes. It is unacceptable to limit the consequences faced by the 
perpetrators of this terror to misdemeanor charges. We need to fix 
this.
  I am proud to have cosponsored this bipartisan legislation, to allow 
individuals, who make bomb threats and other credible threats of 
violence against community religious centers, to be prosecuted to the 
fullest extent of the law for committing a hate crime.
  I thank my colleague from Washington for conceiving this important 
idea and inspiring this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to follow the example 
of the Judiciary Committee and pass H.R. 1730, the Protecting 
Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act, with overwhelming bipartisan 
support.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), my distinguished colleague.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 1730, the Protecting Religiously 
Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017. I thank Congressman Kilmer for his 
vision and leadership on this critical issue.
  This legislation would strengthen current Federal law to prohibit 
threats against religious property, increase the penalty for damaging 
religious property, and expand protected religious property to include 
not just houses of worship, but also religiously affiliated nonprofits, 
like Jewish community centers.
  Over the past few years, there has been a frightening rise in 
incidents of racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia in the 
U.S. and around the world. All too often, the perpetrators of hate 
target houses of worship and other religious centers.
  From the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin in 2012, to Charleston's 
Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015, to the mosque attack in London 
this summer, and the firebombing of a synagogue in Sweden just this 
past weekend, these violent, cowardly bigots go after what is most 
sacred to the communities they so odiously abhor.
  While the hateful incidents that result in loss of life are 
undoubtedly the most tragic, any threat or attack against religious 
property can shake communities to their core.
  The Jewish community of south Florida, sadly, knows this firsthand.

[[Page H9777]]

Last year, a man planned to bomb a synagogue in Aventura in my 
congressional district during Passover. He was caught, thankfully, but 
incidents like this proliferating around the country are instilling 
fear, causing unease, and requiring additional security measures to be 
deployed. Sadly, in south Florida, this was not an isolated incident.
  Mr. Speaker, I will say that, although not specifically an attack 
against a Jewish institution, I remember my children, then in 
preschool, attended preschool at our local JCC and, after the 9/11 
attack, my husband racing to their school to take them out of school 
that day because of the panic that was instilled that automatically 
occurs in every Jewish family's life with children in a Jewish 
institution when there is a terrorist attack. We are constantly on edge 
as to whether or not our community is next.
  It is deeply disturbing that the people in my community who attend 
synagogues and visit our Jewish community centers do so knowing these 
domestic terrorists intentionally want us to feel uneasy about it. 
Their mission is to instill fear in the hearts of Jews, Muslims, and 
other religious minorities so that we will not feel at home in America.

  And they are not relenting. The most recent annual report on hate 
crimes by the FBI showed that there was nearly a 5 percent increase in 
incidents last year. It is the first time in 10 years that America has 
experienced consecutive annual increases in reported hate crimes.
  More than half of the religiously based hate crimes were anti-Jewish, 
and a quarter of them were anti-Muslim. We cannot let bigoted threats 
and vandalism become the new normal.
  We must pass this legislation to make it 100 percent clear that, in 
the view of Congress, when it comes to religious bigotry, there are not 
good people on both sides.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The time of the 
gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 20 seconds to the 
gentlewoman from Florida.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. We must pass this legislation to make anti-
Semitic and Islamophobic cowards think twice before they spread fear, 
while hiding behind a computer or a phone.
  We must pass this legislation to ensure that America is always a 
refuge from religious persecution. I deeply wish this legislation were 
not needed, Mr. Speaker, but, sadly, it is. I urge my colleagues to 
support this important legislation.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the First Amendment protects every citizen's right to 
free exercise of religion, and we, in Congress, must be zealous and 
vigilant partners with the Constitution in that enterprise.
  From Charleston, South Carolina, to Charlottesville, Virginia; from 
suburban Maryland, where racial bias incidents are up 80 percent in my 
congressional district in 2017, to California, Oregon, and all over the 
country, America has seen a surge in threats and violence against 
individuals and religious real property in our country, all in an 
effort to deter our citizens from practicing their faith, or simply to 
assault or kill them for doing so.
  There has also been a rise in threats made by telephone, in person, 
by email, or by phone all over the country, including to churches, 
synagogues, and mosques. In the first 7 months of this year, there were 
63 reported incidents against mosques across 26 States, spanning from 
Florida to Hawaii. Clearly, Congress must act. We have excellent 
legislation in H.R. 1730 to expand our law to include threats of force, 
as well as to toughen up the penalties for this kind of conduct.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is good, bipartisan legislation to protect the 
religious freedom of people of all faiths. It is particularly important 
that we stand up at a time when some religious faiths are under 
particular pressure from those who would attempt to smother their 
ability to freely exercise their religious beliefs by intimidation. 
This legislation speaks strongly to that.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Members on both sides of the aisle. I thank Mr. 
Kustoff, Mr. Kilmer, and others for their good work.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1730, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________