Do No Harm Act

Bill: 118-s-1206
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2023-04-19
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Disability and health-based discrimination

Employee leave

Employment discrimination and employee rights

Health care coverage and access

Judicial procedure and administration

Racial and ethnic relations

Religion

Women's rights

Youth employment and child labor
Latest action: action_date: 2023-04-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-04-19
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Do No Harm Act</strong></p><p>This bill prohibits the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) to specified federal laws or the implementation of such laws. Currently, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means.</p><p>Under the bill, RFRA is inapplicable to laws or the implementation of laws that</p><ul><li>protect against discrimination or require&nbsp;the promotion of equal opportunity (e.g., the Civil Rights Act of 1964);</li><li>require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave;</li><li>protect collective activity in the workplace;</li><li>protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or</li><li>provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for any health care item or service.</li></ul><p>The bill prevents RFRA from being used to deny (1) goods or services&nbsp;the government has agreed to provide to a beneficiary of or participant in a program or activity funded by a government contract, grant, agreement, or other award; or (2) a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation.</p><p>In order for a person to assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,eyJtY2UtY29udmVyc2F0aW9uXzc0NTUwMzc5OTQxNzI0ODcxMTcyNjQwIjp7InVpZCI6Im1jZS1jb252ZXJzYXRpb25fNzQ1NTAzNzk5NDE3MjQ4NzExNzI2NDAiLCJjb21tZW50cyI6W3sidWlkIjoibWNlLWNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbl83NDU1MDM3OTk0MTcyNDg3MTE3MjY0MCIsImF1dGhvciI6ImNpc2VuYmVyZ0BsaWIubG9jLmdvdiIsImF1dGhvck5hbWUiOiJjaXNlbmJlcmdAbGliLmxvYy5nb3YiLCJjb250ZW50IjoiSSBzaG9ydGVuZWQgdGhpcyBzbGlnaHRseSBmb3IgcmVhZGFiaWxpdHksICBUaGlzIHNlZW1lZCBhIGxpdHRsZSB3b3JkeSB0byBtZSBhbmQgSSB0aGluayBcImFncmVlZCB0b1wiIGdlbmVyYWxseSBkZXNjcmliZXMgYWxsIG9mIHRoZXNlIHRlcm1zLiAgIiwiY3JlYXRlZEF0IjoiMjAyNC0wOC0yOFQxODo1Mjo1Mi42MzlaIiwibW9kaWZpZWRBdCI6IjIwMjQtMDgtMjlUMTA6Mzk6NDAuMzgyWiJ9XX0sIm1jZS1jb252ZXJzYXRpb25fMTE2MTA5Mzc2MjE3MjQ5NDcwNjc0NzUiOnsidWlkIjoibWNlLWNvbnZlcnNhdGlvbl8xMTYxMDkzNzYyMTcyNDk0NzA2NzQ3NSIsImNvbW1lbnRzIjpbeyJ1aWQiOiJtY2UtY29udmVyc2F0aW9uXzExNjEwOTM3NjIxNzI0OTQ3MDY3NDc1IiwiYXV0aG9yIjoiY2lzZW5iZXJnQGxpYi5sb2MuZ292IiwiYXV0aG9yTmFtZSI6ImNpc2VuYmVyZ0BsaWIubG9jLmdvdiIsImNvbnRlbnQiOiJJIGFkZGVkIFwicmVxdWlyZVwiIGJlY2F1c2UgdGhlIGN1cnJlbnQgbGFuZ3VhZ2UgY291bGQgYmUgcmVhZCBhcyBcInByb3RlY3RpbmcgYWdhaW5zdCB0aGUgcHJvbW90aW9uIG9mIGVxdWFsIG9wcG9ydHVuaXR5LiAuIC5cIiIsImNyZWF0ZWRBdCI6IjIwMjQtMDgtMjlUMTU6NTc6NDcuNDc1WiIsIm1vZGlmaWVkQXQiOiIyMDI0LTA4LTI5VDE1OjU3OjQ3LjQ3NVoifV19fQ==-->

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1206 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 19, 2023 Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal , Ms. Cortez Masto , Ms. Baldwin , Mr. Merkley , Mr. Markey , Mr. Sanders , Mr. Reed , Mr. Hickenlooper , Ms. Cantwell , Mr. Whitehouse , Ms. Warren , Mr. Padilla , Mrs. Feinstein , Mr. Menendez , Mr. Van Hollen , Mrs. Shaheen , Ms. Klobuchar , Mr. Wyden , Mr. Heinrich , Mr. Cardin , Ms. Stabenow , Mr. Carper , Ms. Duckworth , Mr. Durbin , Mr. Brown , and Mr. Luján ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to protect civil rights and otherwise prevent meaningful harm to third parties, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Do No Harm Act . 2. Exception from application of act where Federal law prevents harm to others Section 3 of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 ( 42 U.S.C. 2000bb–1 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) Additional exception from application of Act where Federal law prevents harm to others Subsections (a), (b), and (c) do not apply to— (1) any provision of law or its implementation that provides for or requires— (A) a protection against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ( 42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq. ), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq. ), the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 ( 29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq. ), Executive Order 11246 ( 42 U.S.C. 2000e note; relating to equal employment opportunity), and the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 ( 42 U.S.C. 13925 et seq. ); (B) an employer to provide a wage, other compensation, or a benefit, including leave, or a standard protecting collective activity in the workplace; (C) a protection against child labor, child abuse, or child exploitation; or (D) access to, information about, a referral for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service; (2) any term of a government contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other award, that provides funds directly or indirectly, and that requires a good, service, function, or activity to be performed for or provided to a beneficiary of or a participant in a program or activity funded, directly or indirectly, by a government contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other award; or (3) the extent that application would result in denying a person the full and equal enjoyment of a good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation provided by the government. . 3. Clarification of preclusion of litigation between private parties (a) Purpose The purpose of the amendment made by subsection (b) is to clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 ( 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq. ). (b) Preclusion Section 3(c) of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 ( 42 U.S.C. 2000bb–1(c) ) is amended, in the first sentence, by striking judicial proceeding and all that follows through the first period and inserting judicial proceeding to which a government is a party and obtain appropriate relief against that government. .