‘‘(C) Counseling, meeting, advising and 
praying with individuals or groups. 
‘‘(D) Providing crisis prevention and re-
sponse. 
‘‘(E) Conducting religious services, cere-
monies, and observances (e.g., memorials, wed-
dings, retirements, sermons, worship, burials). 
‘‘(F) Providing spiritual ministrations and 
activities. 
‘‘(G) Advising on religious accommodation 
requests. 
‘‘(H) Providing religious training and edu-
cation. 
‘‘(b) PROTECTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) A chaplain’s responsibilities and require-
ments, as outlined in subsection (a), must be con-
ducted in a manner consistent with the chaplain’s 
sincerely held religious beliefs and tenets of their re-
ligious-endorsing organization. 
‘‘(2) Chaplains shall have the right to conduct 
public worship, provide counseling, teach, deliver ser-
mons, advise, minister, and offer prayer in accord-
ance with the chaplain’s sincerely held religious be-
liefs and tenets of their religious-endorsing organiza-
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tion. These activities must be free from censorship, 
undue restriction, or fear of retribution. 
‘‘(3) No member of the Armed Forces may— 
‘‘(A) require or assign a chaplain to per-
form any rite, ritual, ceremony, procedure, ser-
mon, speech, or other task or action contrary to 
the sincerely held religious beliefs of the chap-
lain, or to the tenets of their religious-endorsing 
organization; or 
‘‘(B) retaliate, discriminate or take any ad-
verse personnel action against a chaplain, in-
cluding denial of promotion, schooling, training, 
assignment, or financial recoupment; issuance 
of letters of reprimand; or any other adverse ac-
tions or entries in their record, based on the 
chaplain’s refusal to comply with a requirement 
prohibited under subsection (b). 
‘‘(4) Chaplains must uphold their duty to pro-
tect confidential, sacramental, and privileged com-
munications, including those recognized under appli-
cable laws and policies. 
‘‘(c) ASSISTANCE
BY COMMANDING OFFICERS.— 
Each officer shall furnish facilities, including necessary 
transportation, to any chaplain assigned to the command 
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of the officer, to assist the chaplain in performing the du-
ties, responsibilities, and requirements of the chaplain. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) ADVERSE PERSONNEL ACTION.—The term 
‘adverse personnel action’ means any action taken 
against a service member that affects or has the po-
tential to affect their current position or career, in-
cluding promotion, disciplinary actions, transfers, 
performance evaluations, pay, benefits, awards, 
training, relief, removal, separation, discharge, or 
mental health evaluations. 
‘‘(2) 
CENSORSHIP.—The 
term 
‘censorship’ 
means any governmental action taken to suppress or 
restrict information, ideas, or expression. 
‘‘(3) CHAPLAIN.—The term ‘chaplain’ means a 
fully qualified member of the clergy from a religious 
tradition who— 
‘‘(A) satisfies the professional qualifica-
tions of the chaplain’s religious-endorsing orga-
nization and the educational requirements of 
the Department of Defense and the commis-
sioning Armed Service; and 
‘‘(B) is appointed as both an officer in the 
Chaplain Corps of the Armed Services and a 
representative of the chaplain’s religious-endors-
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ing organization to which the chaplain remains 
accountable for providing religious ministry to 
the Armed Services. 
‘‘(4) CONFIDENTIAL, SACRAMENTAL, AND PRIV-
ILEGED COMMUNICATIONS.—The term ‘confidential, 
sacramental, and privileged communications’ means 
private communications made during either religious 
sacraments or religious practice, which are protected 
from being disclosed unless the individual gives the 
chaplain express permission. 
‘‘(5) RELIGIOUS-ENDORSING ORGANIZATION.— 
The term ‘religious-endorsing organization’ means 
an entity that— 
‘‘(A) is organized and functions primarily 
to perform religious ministries to non-military 
lay members and meets the requirements of the 
Department of Defense and the commissioning 
Armed Service; and 
‘‘(B) possesses ecclesiastical authority to 
endorse and withdraw endorsement for chap-
lains serving under the authority of such entity 
to conduct religious observances or ceremonies 
in a military context.’’. 
(d) EFFECT
OF VIOLATIONS.—A member of the 
Armed Forces who violates the policy required under sec-
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tion 7217(b), 8221(b), or 9217(b) of title 10, United 
States Code, shall be subject to prosecution under section 
934 of such title (article 134 of the Uniform Code of Mili-
tary Justice). Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the President shall— 
(1) prescribe regulations establishing that a vio-
lation of section 7217(b), 8221(b), or 9217(b) of 
title 10, United States Code, constitutes an offense 
punishable under section 934 of such title (article 
134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice); and 
(2) revise the Manual for Court-Martial to in-
clude such offenses. 
(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense shall 
issue regulations consistent with this section. 
(f) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) EXISTING PROTECTIONS FOR CHAPLAINS.— 
Section 533 of the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 112–239; 10 
U.S.C. prec. 1030 note) is amended— 
(A) in the section heading, by striking 
‘‘AND CHAPLAINS OF SUCH MEMBERS’’; 
(B) by striking subsection (b); and 
(C) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (b). 
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