WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and U.S. Representatives Brad Knott (R-NC) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) introduced the Right to Worship Act.The bill restricts activity that knowingly disrupts or impedes access to scheduled religious services within 100 feet of the entrance to a house of worship during that time.
The legislation comes as attacks on places of worships are on the rise across the country. The bill would ban activity that “meaningfully interferes with the ability of people to participate in the scheduled religious service, to the extent that the conduct causes a substantial interruption to the service’s normal operation” or “unreasonably hinders or deters a person from entering a house of worship, or threatens or intimidates a person, in a manner that prevents participation at a scheduled religious service.”
“No one should ever fear going to their house of worship. Period,” said Senator Slotkin. “The Right to Worship Act prohibits disruptive conduct, within 100 feet of a religious institution, that’s used to threaten or impede access. I look forward to working with my colleagues on getting this important piece of bipartisan legislation passed.”
“The First Amendment guarantees every American the right to freely exercise their faith, and Congress has a duty to ensure that guarantee is met,” said Senator Cruz. “In recent years, we have seen organized acts of hate meant to disrupt and deny that right, which have been untenably defended as speech. That is why I am introducing the Right to Worship Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it.”
The Right to Worship Act is also endorsed by 12 groups including:
- ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
- Agudath Israel of America
- American Jewish Committee (AJC)
- BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha
- Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA)
- Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America
- Hindu American Foundation
- Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
- Jewish Federations of North America
- UJA-Federation of New York
- Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (“Orthodox Union”)
- UNITED SIKHS
Read the full bill text here.
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