I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3163 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to define the purpose, role, duties, 
and professional qualification requirements for chaplains in the Armed 
Forces, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 1, 2025 
Mr. SELF (for himself and Mr. LUTTRELL) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to define the pur-
pose, role, duties, and professional qualification require-
ments for chaplains in the Armed Forces, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Chaplains Act 
of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Religion and religious liberty have always 
served an essential role in society, culture, and mili-
tary service, making them necessary for good demo-
cratic governance and a strong military. 
(2) George Washington, as a young colonel, rec-
ognized the importance of religious practice for his 
soldiers, repeatedly requesting chaplains for his 
troops and periodically performing religious duties 
himself when his superiors refused. 
(3) When the Continental Congress established 
the Continental Army, it recommended ‘‘all officers 
and soldiers diligently to attend Divine Service.’’ 
(4) John Adams instructed his Secretary of the 
Navy on the influence of a Navy chaplaincy, stating 
‘‘I know not whether the commanders of our ships 
have given much attention to this subject [chap-
lains], but in my humble opinion, we shall be very 
unskillful politicians as well as bad Christians and 
unwise men if we neglect this important office in our 
infant Navy.’’ 
(5) In 1775, the Continental Congress under-
standing the significance of chaplaincy, similarly in-
structed its fledgling navy that ‘‘commanders of the 
ships of the Thirteen Colonies are to take care that 
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divine services be performed twice a day on board, 
and a sermon preached on Sunday.’’ 
(6) In 1942, Franklin D. Roosevelt also ac-
knowledged the importance of the chaplaincy by 
vowing to ‘‘never fail to provide for the spiritual 
needs of our officers and men’’, and during World 
War II, President Roosevelt had Bibles printed and 
provided to troops in the field. 
(7) Understanding the importance of religion 
not only to the members of the United States mili-
tary, but also to the United States as a whole, the 
Founders ratified the First Amendment to the 
United States Constitution in 1791. 
(8) Being applicable to the Armed Forces the 
First Amendment states: ‘‘Congress shall make no 
law respecting an establishment of religion, or pro-
hibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the 
freedom of speech, or of the right of the people to 
peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government 
from a redress of grievances.’’ 
(9) The Supreme Court has stated that there is 
‘‘no historically sound understanding of the Estab-
lishment Clause that begins to make it necessary for 
government to be hostile to religion.’’ (Kennedy v. 
Bremerton School District (2022)). 
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