FAITH Act
Sponsored By: Representative Self, Keith [R-TX-3]
Introduced
Summary
Prohibits fees tied to religious participation. It creates a federal crime to impose, assess, collect, or try to collect any fee, fine, surcharge, penalty, or other financial obligation based on a person's participation in or refusal to join a religion, and it makes that offense a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act predicate.
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- Families and worshippers: Stops people from being charged or treated differently because they join or refuse to join a religion, and bars denying goods, services, access, or opportunities over unpaid prohibited fees.
- Religious organizations and educational institutions: Preserves their ability to request voluntary contributions for internal use while excluding compulsory or coercive financial demands from criminal enforcement.
- Law enforcement and prosecutors: Creates criminal penalties tied to the amount involved. Obligations up to $1,000 carry fines or up to 1 year in prison. Obligations over $1,000 carry fines or up to 3 years in prison, and the offense is added to the list of RICO predicate crimes.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
No fees for religious participation
If enacted, the bill would make it a federal crime to knowingly charge or try to collect any fee tied to a person’s religious membership, participation, or refusal to join. It would set two penalty tiers: prohibited amounts $1,000 or less could bring fines and up to 1 year in jail, and amounts over $1,000 could bring fines and up to 3 years in jail. The bill would also ban knowingly denying goods, services, access, or opportunities for failing to pay such prohibited fees, punishable by fines and up to 1 year in jail. It would not stop religious groups or schools from asking for voluntary contributions. These rules would begin 30 days after enactment.
RICO coverage for religion fees
If enacted, the bill would add the new religion-fee offense to the federal list of racketeering (RICO) predicate crimes. That would let prosecutors and private plaintiffs bring RICO cases that rely on repeated violations of the fee ban. This change would take effect 30 days after enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Self, Keith [R-TX-3]
TX • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Fuller, Clay [R-GA-14]
GA • R
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov