# 119-hr-8239: SACRED Act

119-hr-8239, SACRED Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-11-03).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8239
- As of: 2026-11-03
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8239
- Congress: 119
- Title: SACRED Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 18
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-11-03

## Summary

**Protects access to places of religious worship** by making targeted harassment and intimidation near houses of worship a federal offense and by creating civil remedies for victims. It would set precise proximity limits and staged penalties to deter disruption. - People attending worship: would be protected from conduct intended to intimidate or block passage within 100 feet of a place of worship and from targeted harassment within 8 feet. - Religious organizations and attendees who are harmed: could bring civil suits for injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, and recover attorney and expert fees. Plaintiffs could instead elect statutory damages of $5,000 per violation. - Federal and state prosecutors: would be able to bring criminal charges and civil actions. Criminal penalties would include up to 1 year for a first offense and up to 3 years for repeat offenses.

## Cosponsors (18)

- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2026-10-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Liccardo, Sam T. [D-CA-16] (D-CA), 2026-11-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-FL), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott [D-IL-10] (D-IL), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2026-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kustoff, David [R-TN-8] (R-TN), 2026-05-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Langworthy, Nicholas A. [R-NY-23] (R-NY), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6] (R-AZ), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meuser, Daniel [R-PA-9] (R-PA), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- First Amendment and local rules preserved: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would say it does not prohibit peaceful expressive conduct outside places of worship that the First Amendment protects. It would also say the section does not replace or preempt State or local laws that provide penalties or remedies for the same conduct.
- New civil remedies for worshippers: mixed, high. If enacted, people lawfully exercising or seeking to exercise religion at a place of worship, and the owner or operator of that place, would be able to sue in federal court for covered conduct. Plaintiffs could get temporary, preliminary, or permanent injunctions, compensatory and punitive damages,…
- New federal criminal rules near worship: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would make it a federal crime, when in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to engage in a course of conduct within 100 feet of a place of worship that intends to intimidate or obstruct passage and causes people to reasonably fear for their safety while entering or exit…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8239 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8239)

## Related
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8239 (as of 2026-11-03).