[105th Congress Public Law 183]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


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[DOCID: f:publ183.105]


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Public Law 105-183
105th Congress

                                 An Act


 
  To amend title 11, United States Code, to protect certain charitable 
  contributions, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: June 19, 1998 -  [S. 
                                1244]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Religious 
Liberty and Charitable Donation Protection Act of 1998.>> 

SECTION 1. SHORT <<NOTE: 11 USC 101 note.>> TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Religious Liberty and Charitable 
Donation Protection Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 548(d) of title 11, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(3) In this section, the term `charitable contribution' means a 
charitable contribution, as that term is defined in section 170(c) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, if that contribution--
            ``(A) is made by a natural person; and
            ``(B) consists of--
                    ``(i) a financial instrument (as that term is 
                defined in section 731(c)(2)(C) of the Internal Revenue 
                Code of 1986); or
                    ``(ii) cash.

    ``(4) In this section, the term `qualified religious or charitable 
entity or organization' means--
            ``(A) an entity described in section 170(c)(1) of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or
            ``(B) an entity or organization described in section 
        170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.''.
SEC. 3. TREATMENT OF PRE-PETITION QUALIFIED CHARITABLE 
                    CONTRIBUTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 548(a) of title 11, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(a)'';
            (2) by striking ``(1) made'' and inserting ``(A) made'';
            (3) by striking ``(2)(A)'' and inserting ``(B)(i)'';
            (4) by striking ``(B)(i)'' and inserting ``(ii)(I)'';
            (5) by striking ``(ii) was'' and inserting ``(II) was'';
            (6) by striking ``(iii)'' and inserting ``(III)''; and
            (7) by adding at the end the following:

    ``(2) A transfer of a charitable contribution to a qualified 
religious or charitable entity or organization shall not be considered 
to be a transfer covered under paragraph (1)(B) in any case in which--

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            ``(A) the amount of that contribution does not exceed 15 
        percent of the gross annual income of the debtor for the year in 
        which the transfer of the contribution is made; or
            ``(B) the contribution made by a debtor exceeded the 
        percentage amount of gross annual income specified in 
        subparagraph (A), if the transfer was consistent with the 
        practices of the debtor in making charitable contributions.''.

    (b) Trustee as Lien Creditor and as Successor to Certain Creditors 
and Purchasers.--Section 544(b) of title 11, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``(b) The trustee'' and inserting ``(b)(1) 
        Except as provided in paragraph (2), the trustee''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:

    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a transfer of a charitable 
contribution (as that term is defined in section 548(d)(3)) that is not 
covered under section 548(a)(1)(B), by reason of section 548(a)(2). Any 
claim by any person to recover a transferred contribution described in 
the preceding sentence under Federal or State law in a Federal or State 
court shall be preempted by the commencement of the case.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--Section 546 of title 11, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) by striking ``548(a)(2)'' and inserting 
                ``548(a)(1)(B)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``548(a)(1)'' and inserting 
                ``548(a)(1)(A)'';
            (2) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by striking ``548(a)(2)'' and inserting 
                ``548(a)(1)(B)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``548(a)(1)'' and inserting 
                ``548(a)(1)(A)''; and
            (3) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) by striking ``section 548(a)(1)'' each place it 
                appears and inserting ``section 548(a)(1)(A)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``548(a)(2)'' and inserting 
                ``548(a)(1)(B)''.

SEC. 4. TREATMENT OF POST-PETITION CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS.

    (a) Confirmation of Plan.--Section 1325(b)(2)(A) of title 11, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting before the semicolon the following: 
``, including charitable contributions (that meet the definition of 
`charitable contribution' under section 548(d)(3)) to a qualified 
religious or charitable entity or organization (as that term is defined 
in section 548(d)(4)) in an amount not to exceed 15 percent of the gross 
income of the debtor for the year in which the contributions are made''.
    (b) Dismissal.--Section 707(b) of title 11, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: ``In making a determination 
whether to dismiss a case under this section, the court may not take 
into consideration whether a debtor has made, or continues to make, 
charitable contributions (that meet the definition of `charitable 
contribution' under section 548(d)(3)) to any qualified religious or 
charitable entity or organization (as that term is defined in section 
548(d)(4)).''.

SEC. 5. <<NOTE: 11 USC 544 note.>> APPLICABILITY.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall apply to any case 
brought under an applicable provision of title 11,

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United States Code, that is pending or commenced on or after the date of 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. RULE OF <<NOTE: 11 USC 544 note.>> CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in the amendments made by this Act is intended to limit the 
applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (42 
U.S.C. 2002bb et seq.).

    Approved June 19, 1998.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 1244 (H.R. 2604):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 105-556 accompanying H.R. 2604 (Comm. on the 
Judiciary).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 144 (1998):
            May 13, considered and passed Senate.
            June 3, considered and passed House.

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