# 119-s-5289: Right to Worship Act

119-s-5289, Right to Worship Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX); status introduced (as of 2026-10-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5289
- As of: 2026-10-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5289
- Congress: 119
- Title: Right to Worship Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-01

## Summary

**Protecting worship services from disruption at houses of worship.** This bill would ban conduct that substantially disrupts or impedes participation in a scheduled religious service if the conduct substantially affects interstate commerce within 100 feet of any pedestrian or vehicular entryway and during the period from 1 hour before to 1 hour after the service. - Families and attendees can sue in federal court for injunctive relief, compensatory or punitive damages, and attorney and expert fees, or they may elect statutory damages of $5,000 per violation. - Violators face escalating civil fines that start at $2,500 and can rise to $10,000 per occurrence for repeat offenses. - Protesters and organizers would be covered when conduct falls inside the defined time and place window; conspiring to carry out such disruptions is also criminalized. - The U.S. Attorney General and state attorneys general may bring civil actions with the same remedies, and the federal government may seek a $5,000 civil penalty when no actual damages are shown.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] (R-SD), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Protections for worship services and attendees: mixed, high. This bill would make it unlawful to knowingly disrupt or impede a scheduled religious service within 100 feet of any pedestrian or vehicle entryway. The protected time would run from 1 hour before a scheduled service starts until 1 hour after it ends. The rule would apply only when the conduct subs…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.

## Sources
- [119-s-5289 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5289)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5289 (as of 2026-10-01).