,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dcdj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bh1     
#bjbj ,mr4 ,cruz introduced the         
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,finance 
,a ,,bill  ,to ensure that a ,state or  
local jurisdiction is ineligible to     
receive or use funds allocated1         
appropriated1 or authorized to address  
,,covid-#ai if that ,state or           
jurisdiction discriminates against      
religious individuals or religious      
institutions1 and for other purposes4   
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,safeguarding ,americans from   
,coronavirus and ,religious ,exercise   
,discrimination ,act or the ,,sacred    
,act4  #b4 ,preventing discrimination   
against religious individuals and       
institutions  7a7 ,ineligibility for    
funds ,a ,state or local jurisdiction   
shall be ineligible to receive or use   
funds allocated1 appropriated1 or       
authorized to address ,,covid-#ai       

7referred to as covered funds7 if that  
,state or local jurisdiction is         
committing a violation described in     
subsection 7b74  7b7 ,violations ,a     
,state or local jurisdiction commits a  
violation under this subsection if that 
,state or local jurisdiction-- 7#a7     
enforces1 or announces the intent to    
enforce1 any law1 regulation1 policy1   
order1 proclamation1 or decree related  
to ,,covid-#ai that discriminates       
against religious individuals or        
religious institutions2 or  7#b7        
provides1 or shows an intention to      
provide1 covered funds to a separate    
,state or local jurisdiction that is    
ineligible to receive or use those funds
 because the ,state or local            
jurisdiction has committed a violation  
described in paragraph 7#a74  7c7       
,determination of ineligibility ,the    
,attorney ,general shall make a         
determination of whether a ,state or    
local jurisdiction is ineligible to     
receive or use covered funds in         

accordance with subsection 7a74  7d7    
,enforcement  7#a7 ,funds not yet       
disbursed ,if1 before the covered funds 
are disbursed1 the ,attorney ,general   
determines that a ,state or local       
jurisdiction is ineligible to receive   
such funds1 the covered funds shall not 
be disbursed until the ,attorney        
,general certifies that the ,state or   
local jurisdiction is no longer in      
violation of subsection 7b7 and is      
eligible to receive covered funds4  7#b7
 ,funds already disbursed ,if1 after    
covered funds have been disbursed1 the  
,attorney ,general determines that a    
,state or local jurisdiction was not1 or
 is no longer1 eligible to receive those
 covered funds1 the applicable ,federal 
agency that would otherwise disburse    
such covered funds shall identify and   
withhold from the ,state or local       
jurisdiction funds otherwise authorized 
to be allocated to that ,state or local 
jurisdiction from that ,federal agency  
in an amount not to exceed the amount   

the ,state or local jurisdiction        
received in covered funds from that     
,federal agency1 until the ,attorney    
,general certifies that the ,state or   
local jurisdiction is no longer in      
violation of subsection 7b7 and is      
eligible to receive such covered funds4 
7#c7 ,funds transferred ,if a ,state or 
local jurisdiction transferred covered  
funds to another ,state or local        
jurisdiction that is in violation of    
subsection 7b77#a71 the applicable      
,federal agency shall identify and      
withhold from the ,state or local       
jurisdiction funds otherwise authorized 
to be allocated to that ,state or local 
jurisdiction from that ,federal agency  
in an amount not to exceed the amount of
 covered funds the ,state or local      
jurisdiction transferred in violation of
 subsection 7b77#b7 that were disbursed 
from that ,federal agency1 until the    
,attorney ,general certifies that the   
,state or local jurisdiction that       
received transferred covered funds is   

eligible to receive and use those funds1
 or the covered funds are returned from 
the recipient to the transferring ,state
 or local jurisdiction4