U.S. House Scorecard, 116th Congress | Bills
In the 116th Congress (January 3, 2019 to January 3, 2021), the House of Representatives passed several pieces of legislation supported by the Center for Freethought Equality. Due to the priorities and ideological breakdown of this Congress, many bills specifically related to separation of religion and government failed to reach the House of Representatives floor for a vote. In the scorecard below, members are rated on a combination of co-sponsorships, floor votes, and caucus memberships.
In this session, representatives introduced 32 pieces of legislation which were of great importance to humanists. Six pieces of legislation received a floor vote and passed. Representatives also introduced 26 bills and resolutions which have not received a floor vote at the time of publication.
The Center for Freethought Equality (CFE) opposed seven of the bills and resolutions included in this scorecard. For those bills, either a “yes” vote or a co-sponsorship were contrary to our position. A “no” vote was in line with our position.
CFE supported 25 of the pieces of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives. For these, either a “yes” vote or a co-sponsorship were in line with CFE’s position. A “no” vote was contrary to our position.
Some bills and resolutions are more highly weighted than others. Legislation for which CFE directly lobbied received a weight of 10. Legislation that has passed the House received a weight of 8, as did bills concerning church-state separation and religious discrimination. Legislation that addresses general humanist issues received a weight of 3.
Additionally, we positively scored membership in the Congressional Freethought Caucus, and negatively scored non-membership.
The legislation from the 116th Congress is listed below.
H.Res. 512: Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws.
This resolution calls on the President and the Department of State to (1) make the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws a priority in bilateral relationships between the United States and countries that have such laws; (2) designate countries that enforce such laws as countries of particular concern for religious freedom; and (3) oppose efforts by the United Nations to implement an international anti-blasphemy norm. The resolution also calls on the governments of countries that enforce such laws to amend or repeal them and to release anyone imprisoned pursuant to them.
CFE position: We support this legislation, and lobbied on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This legislation has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.Res. 947: Expressing support for the designation of May 7, 2020, as a “National Day of Reason” and recognizing the central importance of reason in the betterment of humanity.
This resolution (1) supports the designation of a National Day of Reason; and (2) encourages all citizens, residents, and visitors to focus on the central importance of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to resolve social problems and promote human welfare.
CFE position: We support this legislation, and lobbied on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This resolution has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R.7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020
This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It includes measures to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, to enhance transparency and data collection, and to eliminate discriminatory policing practices.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This resolution passed the House of Representatives.✓
H.Res. 847: Expressing support for the designation of February 12, 2020, as “Darwin Day” and recognizing the importance of science to the betterment of humanity.
This resolution supports the designation of Darwin Day, and recognizes the importance of science to the bettering of humanity. Finally, the resolution recognizes Charles Darwin as a worthy symbol for celebrating science, the achievements of reason, and the advancement of human knowledge.
CFE position: We support this legislation, and lobbied on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This resolution has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 5: Equality Act*
The Equality Act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, enshrining such nondiscrimination protections under federal law.
CFE position: We support this legislation, and lobbied on its behalf. A “yes” vote supports our position.
Outcome: This bill passed the House of Representatives.✓
H.R. 2687: Customer Non-Discrimination Act
This bill will prohibit discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 5036: Put Patients First Act
This bill would prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from enforcing or promoting its proposed rule, "Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority."
CFE position: We support this legislation, and lobbied on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 3114: Every Child Deserves a Family Act
This bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), and marital status in the administration and provision of child welfare services; to improve safety, well-being, and permanency for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning foster youth.
CFE position: We support this legislation, and lobbied on its behalf. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 2694: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
This bill would eliminate discrimination and promote women's health and economic security by ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform the functions of a job are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 2474: Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019
This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act and related labor laws to extend protections to union workers.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.
Outcome: This bill passed the House of Representatives.✓
H.R. 3760: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
This bill enhances and enshrines the rights of domestic workers, and protects them from abuse and discrimination.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R.1450: Do No Harm Act
This bill adds an exception to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), stating that religious groups and individuals cannot cite RFRA to oppose a law that exists to prevent meaningful harm to others. For example, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 exists to protect at-risk groups from workplace discrimination. Under Do No Harm, these protections would supersede the religious freedoms laid out in RFRA.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R.2214: NO BAN Act
This bill imposes limitations on the President's authority to suspend or restrict aliens from entering the United States and terminates certain presidential actions implementing such restrictions. It also prohibits religious discrimination in various immigration-related decisions, such as whether to issue an immigrant or non-immigrant visa, unless there is a statutory basis for such discrimination.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 2527: Vaccinate All Children Act of 2019
The Vaccinate All Children Act would introduce a federal requirement on states: no state could offer vaccine exemptions for anything but medical reasons. In other words, no more religious nor personal exemptions, in any state.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 5602: Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020
This bill authorize dedicated domestic terrorism offices within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to analyze and monitor domestic terrorist activity and require the Federal Government to take steps to prevent domestic terrorism.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 4: Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019
This bill would amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to revise the criteria for determining which States and political subdivisions are subject to section 4 of the Act, which determines where there is a high risk of racial discrimination.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A “yes” vote supports our position.
Outcome: This bill passed the House of Representatives.✓
H.R. 1076: Fair Chance Act
This bill would prohibit Federal agencies and Federal contractors from requesting that an applicant for employment disclose criminal history record information before the applicant has received a conditional offer.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 9: Climate Action Now Act
This bill would prevent the Trump administration from using any federal dollars to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. Functionally, that’s the same thing as forcing the U.S. to remain in permanently.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill passed the House of Representatives.✓
H.R. 2975: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2019
This bill would protect a woman's ability to determine whether and when to bear a child or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's ability to provide reproductive health care services, including abortion services.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.Res. 574: Supporting the teaching of climate change in schools
This resolution supports teaching climate change in schools and programs to increase public knowledge on the impacts that humans have on the climate.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 5355: Stop Climate Censorship Act of 2019
The Stop Climate Censorship Act would require any political appointee at a federal agency to publicly provide a valid scientific reason whenever omitting content about the climate crisis from a government study, press release, website, or document. The bill wouldn’t subject a career bureaucrat to the same requirement, presumably under the logic that it’s primarily the Republican political appointees who would be likely to omit climate crisis information.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 2182: Access to Birth Control Act
This bill would establish certain duties for pharmacies to ensure provision of Food and Drug Administration-approved contraception and medication related to contraception. It would prohibit pharmacists from refusing to fill certain prescriptions due to personal beliefs.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 5331: Fairness for All Act
The Fairness For All Act would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of characteristics protected from discrimination in federal law, while still allowing special exceptions for religious organizations. This bill is a weaker alternative to the Equality Act, which provides stronger and more significant protections for LGBTQ+ workers.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 784: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
This bill establishes a new criminal offense for performing or attempting to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more, with specific health exceptions.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 949: Free Speech Fairness Act
This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow tax-exempt organizations, such as nonprofits and churches, to participate in political speech in the course of their tax-exempt activities. This is typically against the law.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 5890: To amend title 38, United States Code, to reorganize the Chaplain Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
This bill would permit religious discrimination among military chaplains. It would allow chaplains to refuse to perform services for certain servicemembers if it violates their religious beliefs or conscience.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 6099: Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations Act of 2020
This bill would permit religious discrimination among military chaplains. It would allow chaplains to refuse to perform services for certain servicemembers if it violates their religious beliefs or conscience.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 1269: History and Tradition Protection Act of 2019
This bill would limit available legal recourse to challenge violations of the Establishment Clause by local, state, or federal government; examples religious displays on public land or preferential treatment by government officials to one religion over another. It would also prohibit the awarding of legal fees to the winner of a lawsuit against the federal government.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 3243: Equal Campus Access Act of 2019
This bill would disallow any federal taxpayer dollars for a university or college if the university is perceived to be discriminating against religious student organizations for their “religious beliefs, practices, speech, leadership standards, or standards of conduct.” It would enforce that colleges and universities not regulate the practices of the religious organization, even if they violate the university’s own rules on inclusion, if it is perceived as inhibiting the free practice of religion.
CFE position: We oppose this legislation. A co-sponsorship is against our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 1709: Scientific Integrity Act
This bill would amend the America COMPETES Act to establish certain scientific integrity policies for federal agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee scientific research. It would implement basic scientific requirements to ensure taxpayer dollars are going to legitimate, accurate, and neutral scientific research.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R. 590: Freedom of Religion Act of 2019
This bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission or entry to the United States, or other immigration benefits, because of their religion.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A co-sponsorship supports our position.
Outcome: This bill has not passed the House of Representatives.
H.R.35: Emmett Till Antilynching Act
This bill acknowledges the tragic history of lynching in the United States and establishes a new criminal civil rights violation for lynching.
CFE position: We support this legislation. A “yes” supports our position.
Outcome: This bill passed the House of Representatives.✓
*In 2020, the Supreme Court decided that LGBTQ+ workers are protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in agreement with some of the goals of the Equality Act
