Should Tax-Exempt Houses of Worship be Eligible for Federal Disaster Relief Like Other Nonprofits? (H.R. 2405)

What is H.R. 2405?

(Updated September 2, 2019)

This bill would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include community centers, including tax-exempt houses of worship, as “private nonprofit facilities” for the purpose of eligibility for disaster relief eligibility. A church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other house of worship, and a private nonprofit facility operated by a religious organization would be eligible for federal contributions to repair, restore, and replace facilities damaged or destroyed by a major disaster without regard to the religious character or use of the facility. 

This bill would apply to assistance in response to a major disaster or emergency declared on or after October 28, 2012.

Argument in favor

Tax-exempt, nonprofit houses of worship should be eligible to receive the federal disaster assistance they need to rebuild after a disaster strikes their community. They should be treated the same as other nonprofits.

Argument opposed

Disaster relief funds shouldn’t go to any houses of worship, even if they have tax-exempt, nonprofit status in the eyes of the federal government. Religious groups aren’t the same as other nonprofits.

Impact

Tax-exempt houses of worship seeking federal disaster relief funds; and the federal government.

Cost of H.R. 2405

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced this bill to put houses of worship on an even playing field with other nonprofit organizations seeking disaster assistance, and said the following when he introduced this bill’s predecessor in 2015:

“Following Superstorm Sandy, we witnessed faith communities serving the needs of their devastated neighborhoods, providing hot food, warm clothes, and shelter — even though many of those houses of worship themselves were severely damaged. Houses of worship are critical public institutions within our communities, and they must not be denied the equal treatment they deserve.”

Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), a lead cosponsor of the past and current bill, added at the time:

“It’s hard to believe that it will soon be three years since Sandy wreaked havoc on our region. But it’s even harder to believe that houses of worship continue to be denied the same treatment that is afforded to other non-profit entities. This wrongheaded policy remains unacceptable, and we will keep up the fight until synagogues, churches, mosques, and temples are permitted to receive this critical aid from FEMA.”

This legislation has the support of three bipartisan cosponsors in the House, including two Democrats and one Republican.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) Press Release (Previous Version)
  
• Insurance News Net (Previous Version)