H.R. 1954: Do No Harm Act
Sponsor
Robert Scott
Democrat · VA-3
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Mar 6, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Religious exemptions stop where your rights begin
Why it matters
Your pay, your leave, your health care access, and your protection from discrimination are all on the line here. H.R. 1954 would stop the Religious Freedom Restoration Act from being used to seek exemptions from federal civil rights laws, workplace protections, child-safety rules, health care requirements, and some government-funded service obligations.
H.R. 1954, called the Do No Harm Act, narrows when the Religious Freedom Restoration Act can be used in court. The bill says that in several categories, RFRA would no longer apply at all.
Those categories cover federal anti-discrimination and equal-opportunity laws, including four laws the bill names directly: the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Violence Against Women Act. It also covers rules requiring employers to provide wages, compensation, benefits like leave, and protections for collective workplace activity.
The bill also blocks RFRA claims against federal protections involving child labor, child abuse, and child exploitation. In health care, it uses especially broad language: RFRA could not be used to block access, information, referrals, the service itself, or insurance coverage for a health care item or service.
Another part of the bill targets government-funded programs. If a contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other federal award requires a service or activity to be provided, RFRA could not be used to avoid that obligation. The bill also says RFRA cannot be used when doing so would deny someone the full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation.
Finally, H.R. 1954 would narrow who can raise RFRA in court. The bill says RFRA could be asserted only in a case where the government is a party, which means it could no longer be used the same way in disputes between private parties.
H.R. 1954 Bill Summary
What H.R. 1954 actually does.
Civil rights laws get priority over RFRA claims
H.R. 1954 says RFRA could not be used against federal protections against discrimination or laws promoting equal opportunity. The bill specifically names the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Violence Against Women Act.
Religious objections can't block pay, benefits, or leave
The bill bars RFRA claims against federal rules requiring wages, other compensation, benefits including leave, and standards protecting collective activity in the workplace. That means employers would have less room to seek religious exemptions from those obligations.
Health care access and referrals stay protected
H.R. 1954 says RFRA would not apply to federal requirements involving access to health care, information about care, referrals, the actual provision of care, or insurance coverage. The bill lists all five categories directly.
Child-safety protections can't be bypassed
The bill says RFRA could not be used against federal protections involving child labor, child abuse, or child exploitation. It creates a clear carveout for those child-welfare categories.
Federally funded providers still have to deliver services
If a contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other federal award requires a good, service, function, or activity to be provided, the bill says RFRA cannot be used to avoid that requirement. This reaches services funded directly or indirectly with government money.
RFRA defenses get limited to cases involving government
The bill says RFRA could be raised only in court cases where the government is a party and the relief is sought against the government. That would cut off RFRA as a tool in many lawsuits between private parties.
Who benefits from H.R. 1954?
Workers who depend on federal pay and leave protections
If your employer might seek a religious exemption from wage, compensation, benefits, leave, or collective-activity rules, H.R. 1954 would make that defense unavailable in those areas.
People relying on federal civil rights protections
If you are seeking protection from discrimination or trying to enforce equal-opportunity rights, the bill would make it harder for someone else to use RFRA as a defense against those laws.
Patients seeking care, information, referrals, or coverage
If you need a health care service, an explanation of your options, a referral, or insurance coverage, the bill says RFRA could not be used to block those federally required steps.
People using programs funded with federal dollars
If you receive services through a federally funded program, H.R. 1954 would limit a provider's ability to cite RFRA to avoid delivering what the government-funded program requires.
Who is affected by H.R. 1954?
Religious employers and faith-based organizations
Organizations that now rely on RFRA in disputes over workplace rules, discrimination claims, health care requirements, or federally funded services would have fewer legal defenses available.
Health care providers, insurers, and plan administrators
Entities asserting religious objections to providing care, giving referrals, sharing information, or covering services would face tighter limits under federal law if those obligations fall within the bill's carveouts.
Government contractors and grant recipients
Any organization taking federal funds to run a program or provide a service would need to comply with those service obligations without relying on RFRA in the situations covered by the bill.
People and groups in private lawsuits
Anyone trying to raise RFRA in a case where the government is not a party would lose that option under H.R. 1954's litigation change.
HR1954 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Mar 6, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
About the Sponsor
Robert Scott
Democrat, Virginia's 3rd congressional district · 33 years in Congress
Committees: Education and Workforce, the Budget
View full profile →
Cosponsors (120)
All 120 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 35 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and 32 more.
Jamie Raskin
Democrat · MD
Steve Cohen
Democrat · TN
Mary Scanlon
Democrat · PA
Scott Peters
Democrat · CA
Gerald Connolly
Democrat · VA
Jill Tokuda
Democrat · HI
Raja Krishnamoorthi
Democrat · IL
Linda Sánchez
Democrat · CA
Eleanor Norton
Democrat · DC
Janice Schakowsky
Democrat · IL
Mark Pocan
Democrat · WI
Marilyn Strickland
Democrat · WA
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Judiciary Committee
11 of 42 committee members cosponsored
7 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does H.R. 1954 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 3 of Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 2000bb-1)
adding at the end the following: ``(d) Additional Exception From Application of Act Where Federal Law Prevents Harm to Others
H.R. 1954 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Judiciary
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Introduced
- Mar 6, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Mar 6, 2025
Official Sources
Official legislative status, text, actions, and cosponsor information for the Do No Harm Act.
Official U.S. Code text for RFRA, which H.R. 1954 would amend and narrow in several contexts.
Official U.S. Code entry for one of the major civil-rights laws specifically named in the bill's new RFRA carveouts.
Official U.S. Code entry for the ADA, another law H.R. 1954 expressly identifies as protected from RFRA-based challenges.
Official U.S. Code entry for FMLA, relevant to the bill's limits on RFRA defenses against leave and workplace-benefit requirements.
Official HHS civil-rights office page relevant to the bill's provisions on health care access, referrals, information, and coverage requirements.
Official Department of Labor page covering federal wage protections that relate to the bill's bar on RFRA claims against pay and compensation rules.
Official Department of Labor FMLA page directly relevant to the bill's treatment of leave as a protected workplace benefit.
Official federal child-welfare resource page relevant to the bill's carveout for child abuse, child labor, and child exploitation protections.
H.R. 1954 Common Questions
What does H.R. 1954 actually do?
It limits when the Religious Freedom Restoration Act can be used as a legal defense. In several areas, including civil rights, health care, workplace rules, and federally funded services, RFRA would no longer apply.
Can an employer still cite RFRA to avoid leave, pay, or benefits rules?
No, not in the areas covered by H.R. 1954. The bill says RFRA cannot be used against federal requirements for wages, compensation, benefits including leave, or protections for collective workplace activity.
Would H.R. 1954 affect health care refusals based on religion?
Yes. The bill says RFRA could not be used to block federally required access to health care, information about care, referrals, the service itself, or insurance coverage.
Which civil rights laws are specifically named in H.R. 1954?
The bill names the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Violence Against Women Act as examples of laws RFRA could not be used against.
Can federally funded providers still claim RFRA to deny services?
In the situations covered by H.R. 1954, no. If a federal contract, grant, or other award requires a service or activity, the bill says RFRA cannot be used to avoid that obligation.
Does H.R. 1954 change lawsuits between private parties?
Yes. The bill says RFRA could be raised only in court cases where the government is a party, which would shut down many RFRA claims in private-party litigation.
Does the bill cover child labor and child abuse protections too?
Yes. H.R. 1954 says RFRA would not apply to federal protections involving child labor, child abuse, or child exploitation.
Based on H.R. 1954 bill text
H.R. 1954 Bill Text
“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.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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