,i #aadth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bhjb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #ag1 #bjae ,mr4 ,labrador 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,collins of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,mr4 ,sessions1 ,mr4 ,duncan of ,south ,carolina1 ,mrs4 ,hartzler1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,neugebauer1 ,mr4 ,pearce1 ,mr4 ,lamborn1 ,mr4 ,sam ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,sanford1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,rothfus1 ,mr4 ,franks of ,arizona1 ,mr4 ,mullin1 ,mr4 ,pompeo1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,pittenger1 ,mr4 ,walberg1 ,mr4 ,jody ,b4 ,hice of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,marchant1 ,mr4 ,lipinski1 ,mr4 ,jordan1 ,mr4 ,palmer1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4 ,allen1 ,mr4 ,huelskamp1 ,mr4 ,pitts1 ,mr4 ,graves of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,miller of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,garrett1 ,mr4 ,fincher1 ,mr4 ,salmon1 ,mr4 ,westmoreland1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey1 ,mr4 ,grothman1 ,mr4 ,harris1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,fleming1 ,mr4 ,kelly of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,babin1 ,mr4 ,yoho1 ,mr4 ,chaffetz1 ,mr4 ,fortenberry1 ,mr4 ,palazzo1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,rouzer1 ,mrs4 ,black1 ,mr4 ,brat1 ,mr4 ,mooney of ,west ,virginia1 ,mr4 ,gosar1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,utah1 ,mrs4 ,love1 ,mr4 ,gowdy1 ,mr4 ,aderholt1 and ,mr4 ,stewart7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,oversight and ,government ,reform1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to prevent discriminatory treatment of any person on the basis of views held with respect to marriage4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,first ,amendment ,defense ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,leading legal scholars concur that conflicts between same-sex marriage and religious liberty are real and should be legislatively addressed4 7#b7 ,as the ,president stated in response to the decision of the ,supreme ,court on the ,defense of ,marriage ,act in #bjac1 ,americans hold a wide range of views on the issue of same-sex marriage1 and maintaining our ,nation's commitment to religious freedom is vital4 7#c7 ,nevertheless1 in #bjae1 when asked whether a religious school could lose its tax-exempt status for opposing same-sex marriage1 the ,solicitor ,general of the ,united ,states represented to the ,united ,states ,supreme ,court that it's certainly going to be an issue4 7#d7 ,protecting religious freedom from ,government intrusion is a ,government interest of the highest order4 ,legislatively enacted measures advance this interest by remedying1 deterring1 and preventing ,government interference with religious exercise in a way that complements the protections mandated by the ,first ,amendment to the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,laws that protect the free exercise of religious beliefs and moral convictions about marriage will encourage private citizens and institutions to demonstrate tolerance for those beliefs and convictions and therefore contribute to a more respectful1 diverse1 and peaceful society4 #c4 ,protection of the free exercise of religious beliefs and moral convictions 7a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the ,federal ,government shall not take any discriminatory action against a person1 wholly or partially on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman1 or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage4 7b7 ,discriminatory action defined ,as used in subsection 7a71 a discriminatory action means any action taken by the ,federal ,government to-- 7#a7 alter in any way the ,federal tax treatment of1 or cause any tax1 penalty1 or payment to be assessed against1 or deny1 delay1 or revoke an exemption from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf of1 any person referred to in subsection 7a72 7#b7 disallow a deduction for ,federal tax purposes of any charitable contribution made to or by such person2 7#c7 withhold1 reduce1 exclude1 terminate1 or otherwise deny any ,federal grant1 contract1 subcontract1 cooperative agreement1 loan1 license1 certification1 accreditation1 employment1 or other similar position or status from or to such person2 7#d7 withhold1 reduce1 exclude1 terminate1 or otherwise deny any benefit under a ,federal benefit program from or to such person2 or 7#e7 otherwise discriminate against such person4 7c7 ,accreditation2 licensure2 certification ,the ,federal ,government shall consider accredited1 licensed1 or certified for purposes of ,federal law any person that would be accredited1 licensed1 or certified1 respectively1 for such purposes but for a determination against such person wholly or partially on the basis that the person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman1 or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage4 #d4 ,judicial relief 7a7 ,cause of action ,a person may assert an actual or threatened violation of this ,act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and obtain compensatory damages1 injunctive relief1 declaratory relief1 or any other appropriate relief against the ,federal ,government4 ,standing to assert a claim or defense under this section shall be governed by the general rules of standing under ,article ,,iii of the ,constitution4 7b7 ,administrative remedies not required ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 an action under this section may be commenced1 and relief may be granted1 in a ,united ,states district court without regard to whether the person commencing the action has sought or exhausted available administrative remedies4 7c7 ,attorneys' fees ,section #gbb7;b7 of the ,revised ,statutes 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aihh7;b77 is amended by inserting the ,first ,amendment ,defense ,act1 after the ,religious ,land ,use and ,institutionalized ,persons ,act of #bjjj14 7d7 ,authority of ,united ,states ,to ,enforce ,this ,act ,the ,attorney ,general may bring an action for injunctive or declaratory relief against an independent establishment described in section #ajd7a7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 or an officer or employee of that independent establishment1 to enforce compliance with this ,act4 ,nothing in this subsection shall be construed to deny1 impair1 or otherwise affect any right or authority of the ,attorney ,general1 the ,united ,states1 or any agency1 officer1 or employee of the ,united ,states1 acting under any law other than this subsection1 to institute or intervene in any proceeding4 #e4 ,rules of construction 7a7 ,broad construction ,this ,act shall be construed in favor of a broad protection of free exercise of religious beliefs and moral convictions1 to the maximum extent permitted by the terms of this ,act and the ,constitution4 7b7 ,no preemption1 repeal1 or narrow construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to preempt ,state law1 or repeal ,federal law1 that is equally or more protective of free exercise of religious beliefs and moral convictions4 ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to narrow the meaning or application of any ,state or ,federal law protecting free exercise of religious beliefs and moral convictions4 ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to prevent the ,federal ,government from providing1 either directly or through a person not seeking protection under this ,act1 any benefit or service authorized under ,federal law4 7c7 ,severability ,if any provision of this ,act or any application of such provision to any person or circumstance is held to be unconstitutional1 the remainder of this ,act and the application of the provision to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected4 #f4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,federal benefit program ,the term ,federal benefit program has the meaning given that term in section #eeb;a of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,federal ,government ,the term ,federal ,government includes each authority of any branch of the ,government of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,person ,the term person means a person as defined in section #a of title #a1 ,united ,states ,code1 and includes any such person regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof1 and regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status4