# 119-hr-8117: Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act of 2026

119-hr-8117, Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8117
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8117
- Congress: 119
- Title: Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 13
- Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Protecting religious organizations' rights in tax treatment and federal funding.** This bill would stop beliefs about marriage, sexuality, or gender identity from being used to disqualify an organization from having a religious purpose for tax-exempt status. It would also prevent treating those beliefs as non-religious just because they are not compelled or central to a system of religion. Section 2 would apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025. The act is titled the Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act of 2026. - Religious organizations: Would face narrower standards for being recognized as having a religious purpose for tax exemption. Marriage, sexuality, and gender-identity beliefs could not be used to deny religious-purpose recognition. - Religious employers that receive federal financial assistance: Would be protected from federal agency actions that disadvantage them for employment decisions that align with their religious beliefs. The protection explicitly references exemptions and defenses in the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the First Amendment.

## Cosponsors (13)

- Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6] (R-VA), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1] (R-ID), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5] (R-TX), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4] (R-UT), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1] (R-TX), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1] (R-AZ), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2026-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] (R-FL), 2026-03-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] (R-WI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4] (R-MO), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Maloy, Celeste [R-UT-2] (R-UT), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tax rules for religious groups: benefit, medium. This bill would add a rule to section 501 about what counts as a "religious purpose" for tax-exempt status. It would forbid using an organization's beliefs or practices about marriage, sexuality, or gender identity to deny religious-purpose recognition. It would also say a belief is still religious…
- Hiring protections for religious employers: mixed, medium. This bill would bar any Federal department, agency, or branch from discriminating against or disadvantaging religious employers when they apply for or receive federal grants, loans, contracts, or other financial assistance. Covered employers include religious corporations, associations, religious e…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8117 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8117)

## Related
- [119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-703)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-452)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-404)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8117 (as of 2026-09-21).