Congressional Scorecard, 117th Congress | Bills

The Center for Freethought Equality Congressional Scorecard tracks legislation important to the atheist and humanist community. Our community has a broad interest in public policy, which includes protecting the secular character of our government and the separation of church and state, addressing climate change and environmental justice, advancing human rights and civil liberties, promoting religious freedom at home and aboard, and ensuring the health, safety, and dignity of all people.

Selected legislation is used to produce a score for each member of Congress based on their support or opposition to the policy issue. The score for Representatives is based on floor votes and membership in the Congressional Freethought Caucus. The score for Senators is based on floor votes and co-sponsorship of legislation.

The legislation tracked for the 117th Congress (January 3, 2021 to January 3, 2023) is below. This information can also be found in the scorecard itself.

H.R. 7647: The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2022

This bill would help ensure fairness and transparency in the highest court by establishing a code of conduct for Supreme Court justice and federal judges, instituting gift, reimbursement, income, and amicus disclosure requirements, requiring recusal under specified circumstances, imposing ‘duties to know and notify’, and establishing review panels for consideration of motions to disqualify, among other changes.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House Judiciary Committee, and awaits a House Floor vote.

S. 4188: The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2022

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 7910: Protecting Our Kids Act

Protecting children from gun violence should be a top national priority. This bill would make numerous changes to federal firearm laws, including restricting the sale or purchase of certain firearms to people under 21, establishing gun trafficking offenses, requiring firearms be traceable and stored securely from minors, regulating bump stocks, and implementing prohibitions on large capacity ammunition feeding devices, among other changes.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

H.R. 1280: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

This bill would provide accountability for police violence by making numerous changes regarding law enforcement accountability and procedures, including limitations on qualified immunity, changes to investigation allowances, institutions of federal data collection and reporting, training on racial profiling elimination, implicit bias, and intervention, restrictions of no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and deadly use of force, body camera requirements, and address of engaging in sexual acts while acting under color of law, among other changes.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

H.R. 5: Equality Act

This bill would prohibit religiously-motivated discrimination and codify protections for members of the LGBTQ community by prohibiting discrimination and segregation on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in public accommodation, allowing the Department of Justice to intervene in related equal protections actions, and prohibiting denying a person the ability to utilize a shared facility, such as a restroom, that is in accordance with the person’s gender identity.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and received a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

S. 393: Equality Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 2116: Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act of 2022

This bill would prohibit a person from being excluded from, denied benefits of, or discriminated against under any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance based on the person’s hair texture or style, when the hair texture or style is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 888: CROWN Act of 2021

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 849: Scientific Integrity Act

While scientific research may never be truly objective, it certainly should be conducted and shared free from political interference. This bill would require federal agencies that fund or direct public science to establish and maintain clear scientific integrity principles, formalize these policies and strengthen them with the force of law, and hold scientists to high standards while guaranteeing their rights and protections under the law. https://thecivicscenter.org/hsvrw

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

H.R. 842: Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021

Workers’ rights to organize and unionize should be protected. This bill would strengthen the rights and protections of employees organizing and participating in collective bargaining, make revisions that would cover more individuals under fair labor standards, and expand unfair labor practice denominations to protect individuals who go on strike and those who may be discouraged from joining a union by their employer, among other changes.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 420: Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill received a hearing in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, and was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

H.R. 1195: Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

This bill would require the Department of Labor to issue an occupational safety and health standard requiring health care and social service industry employers to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan, among other directives. This bill would help bolster the safety of employees and help mitigate violence experienced by those in the health care and social service industries.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 4182: Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 603: Raise the Wage Act of 2021

The minimum wage must be a livable wage. This bill would provide for a tiered raise of federal minimum wages for regular employees, tipped workers, newly hired employees less than 20 years old, and individuals with disabilities, and eventually removes separate minimum wage requirements for tipped, newly hired, and disabled employees so they are paid like regular employees, among other changes.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

S. 53: Raise the Wage Act of 2021

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

S. Res. 652: A resolution recognizing June 2022 as “LGBTQ Pride Month”

This resolution states that the U.S. Senate supports rights, freedoms, and equal treatment of LGBTQ individuals, acknowledges that LGBTQ rights are human rights to be protected by law, supports efforts to ensure equal treatment, and encourages the celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month in June for awareness and celebratory purposes.

CFE Position: We support this resolution. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This resolution was introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act

Slavery has led to inequities centuries in the making, including in wealth, healthcare, housing, employment, education, policing, and more. This bill would establish an expert reparations commission tasked with studying the legacy of slavery and the ways the failure to address its historical and ongoing harms have entrenched racial disparities in our country. The commission would also report to Congress its findings and recommendations, which may include revisions to federal laws, a scope of restitution, and ways to counteract slavery’s ongoing ill-effects.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House Judiciary Committee, and awaits a House Floor vote.

S. 40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 4: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021

We should be making it easier to vote, not harder. This bill would return the Voting Rights Act to full strength by creating an updated formula that holds states accountable when they attempt to disenfranchise voters and restores voters’ ability to challenge discriminatory changes to voting practices.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 4: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: The Senate floor vote failed to override the filibuster.

H.R. 604: Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021

Children deserve to learn in a safe, clean, and welcoming environment. This bill would fund facility improvements in public elementary and secondary school facilities, including for major repairs, improving indoor air quality, making facilities accessible to individuals who are disabled, constructing new public-school facilities, and more. The bill additionally includes a sustainability-focused requirement for fund use.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House Education and Labor Committee, and awaits a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee.

S.96: Reopen and Rebuild America’s School Act of 2021

Children deserve to learn in a safe, clean, and welcoming environment. This bill would fund facility improvements in public elementary and secondary school facilities, including for major repairs, improving indoor air quality, making facilities accessible to individuals who are disabled, constructing new public-school facilities, and more. The bill additionally affords a sustainability-focused requirement for fund use.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.Res.24: Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors

The January 6th insurrection served as an attempt to undermine our democracy and the will of the people. This resolution impeached former President Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors for inciting an insurrection against the United States government.

CFE Position: We support this resolution. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This resolution was agreed to in the House of Representatives, but the Senate failed to reach a 2/3 majority to convict.

H.R. 3488: John Lewis Every Child Deserves A Family Act

This bill would bar discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and marital status against families or children in taxpayer-funded child welfare services. It also provides extensive resources to states, tribes, and agencies to improve care and outcomes for LGBTQI+ foster children.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

S. 1848: John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.Res.1080: National Day of Reason

This resolution expresses support for the establishment of May 4, 2022 as the National Day of Reason, and encourages those who observe the day to focus on the central importance of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to resolve social problems and promote the welfare of humankind. This resolution seeks to continue our Founders’ efforts to keep religion and government separate while ensuring that reason is the basis for public policy. This resolution celebrates the important roles played by reason and critical thought in our nation’s founding, its social evolutions, and its continued and necessary improvement. At a time when White Christian Nationalists are gaining a terrifying amount of momentum in government, resolutions like this one help us correct the narrative: our nation was founded on definitively secular values.

CFE Position: We support this resolution, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This resolution has been introduced in the House.

H.R. 3755: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021

Abortion is an essential right. This bill would give health care providers the statutory right to provide abortion services by prohibiting governmental restrictions. Essentially codifying Roe v. Wade, the bill asserts providers are not required to conduct unnecessary medical procedures or provide inaccurate medical information, and prohibits governing bodies from stopping providers from offering telemedicine services or prescribing certain drugs related to abortion, among other important mandates.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, but failed in the Senate.

S. 1975: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021

Abortion is an essential right. This bill would give health care providers the statutory right to provide

abortion services by prohibiting governmental restrictions. Essentially codifying Roe v. Wade, the bill

asserts providers are not required to conduct unnecessary medical procedures, provide inaccurate

medical information, and prohibits governing bodies from stopping providers from offering telemedicine

services or prescribing certain drugs related to abortion, among other important mandates.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 1319: American Rescue Plan Act

This bill provides stimulus funds for family relief to mitigate impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, including by providing direct relief to individuals through the form of stimulus checks, grants and loans to small businesses, lowering health insurance premiums, continuing enhanced unemployment benefits, and increasing certain tax credits.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill successfully passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021.

S. 2065: Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2021

Ensuring elderly persons have access to well-funded support systems is important. This bill would make numerous updates to the Supplemental Security Income program, which currently supports elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities who meet income requirements. These improvements include raising and updating income requirements and benefits for eligible individuals.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 1333: NO BAN Act

First introduced in the wake of President Trump’s Muslim ban, this bill would enact restrictions on a President’s ability to restrict migrants from entering the United States, and prohibits discrimination based on religion in certain immigration-related decisions, such as within the context of issuing visas.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 1891: NO BAN Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 2644: Green New Deals for Cities Act of 2021

This bill would permit the Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund local government Green New Deal projects that address improvements in community sustainability, renewable energy, food security, conservation, and climate and disaster mitigation, among other charges.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

H.R. 2238: Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021

Pollutants cause a litany of problems, especially for communities at risk. This bill would establish requirements that reduce the production and use of certain products and materials that aid in pollution, including plastics, and encourage collection, recycling, and composting of these materials.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

S. 984: Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 3764: Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2021

Ocean conservation and support of healthy biodiversity help ensure health, resiliency and productivity for all life. This bill would provide for the establishment of programs, funds, and requirements for ocean-based climate solutions that reduce carbon emissions and global warming, restore and conserve ocean and coastal habitats, biodiversity, and marine mammal and fish populations, and strengthen coastal communities.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House Natural Resources Committee, and awaits action from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

H.R. 6720: To authorize the Thomas Paine Memorial Association to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes.

This bill would create a memorial in Washington to honor Thomas Paine, one of the United States’ great founders and a champion of humanist values. Paine’s writings galvanized a nascent nation, and he lived by his convictions, enduring imprisonment and ridicule in the later years of his life for daring to speak out against capital punishment and organized religion. This bill would provide a chance to memorialize Paine and his contributions in our nation.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House, and received a hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

H.R. 8324: Health Share Transparency Act of 2022

Healthcare sharing ministries are highly unregulated cost-sharing organizations that masquerade as health insurance. Commonly associated with evangelical Christian beliefs, these risk-pooling groups are open to people who share religious or ethical beliefs and have wide discretion to deny claims based on the moral or religious beliefs of their organizers. This bill would help put a stop to deceptive practices of health care sharing ministries by holding them accountable and requiring certain disclosures to current and prospective enrollees.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

H.R. 5376: Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Build Back Better Act)

This bill takes on numerous issues including providing improvements in the areas of climate and health care. Specifically, the bill includes provisions that address reduction of the federal deficit, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and require Medicare to negotiate drug prices, among other significant charges.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill successfully passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden on August 16, 2022.

H.R. 8404: Respect for Marriage Act

This bill would codify the right of same-sex and interracial individuals to marry, as established in the Supreme Court decisions of Obergefell v. Hodges and Loving v. Virginia, and would require states to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 2938: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

Following the tragic mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, this bill materialized as an effort to address gun violence and the health and safety of children. In doing so, it modifies gun laws and makes worthwhile investments into schools and mental health services.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill successfully passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden on June 25, 2022.

H.R. 1670: Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2021

This bill would repeal the Helms Amendment: language in current law that prohibits certain foreign assistance funds from being used to pay for comprehensive reproductive health care services, including abortion services, abroad. Everyone, everywhere – especially those who are most marginalized and need family planning services – should be able to obtain a safe abortion and have the resources they need to access comprehensive reproductive health care.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

S. 4641: Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2022

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 2062: Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act

It is essential that elderly persons have fair means to protect their rights in the workplace. This bill would protect older workers against age discrimination by lowering the burden of proof that is required to establish an unlawful employment practice in an age discrimination claim.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

H.R. 1: For The People Act

This bill would establish numerous safeguards related to voting rights and elections by addressing voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and government ethics by expanding voter registration and voting access, requiring states to establish independent redistricting commissions, implementing election security measures, establishing a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, and requiring Presidential tax disclosures, among other significant requirements.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and awaits Senate action.

S. 1: For The People Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 1620: Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2021

Gender based and sexual violence must be combatted at full force. This bill would reauthorize programs under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 that seek to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, and authorize new programs that address firearms, housing stability and economic security for victims.

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has passed the House, and received a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

S. 3623: Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022

CFE Position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

S. 4500: Youth Voting Rights Act

Ensuring youth have the knowledge and tools to vote helps more people participate in a healthier democracy. This bill would work to expand the ability of youth to vote by uplifting university voter registration opportunities, requiring states to allow pre registration for 16-year olds, codifying the right to vote from a college campus, and establishing grant programs for youth election participation, among other charges.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 1378: Do No Harm Act

This bill would establish exceptions to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993’s (RFRA) applicability to laws that protect against discrimination or promote equal opportunity, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and laws that require employers to provide compensation or benefits, protect against child labor or exploitation, or provide healthcare coverage. This bill is important for the prevention of RFRA’s use to legally discriminate on the basis of religious belief.

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the House.

S. 2752: Do No Harm Act

CFE Position: We support this legislation, and advocated on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.

Outcome: This bill has been introduced in the Senate.

H.R. 7900: Amendment (Roll Call 317) to National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023

This amendment would have reduced proposed military spending in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by $37 billion. Efforts that maintain and promote peacemaking and prioritize diverse humanist needs are important, and cultural exchange, cooperation, peaceful conflict resolution, and diplomacy are the best ways to respect human rights and make the world a safer place – not increased military spending.

CFE Position: We supported this amendment, and advocated on its behalf. A “yes” supports our position.

Outcome: This amendment failed to pass.