Religious FIRE Act

Religious Freedom International Reciprocity Enhancement Act or the Religious FIRE Act

This bill prohibits a foreign national of a country that limits the free exercise of religion in that country from making any expenditure in the United States promoting a religion.

An asset consisting of such an expenditure or the proceeds of such an expenditure is subject to U.S. forfeiture.

[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5824 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5824

To provide that it shall be unlawful for foreign nationals of a country 
 that limits the free exercise of religion in that country to make any 
 expenditure in the United States to promote a religion in the United 
                    States, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2016

   Mr. Brat introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide that it shall be unlawful for foreign nationals of a country 
 that limits the free exercise of religion in that country to make any 
 expenditure in the United States to promote a religion in the United 
                    States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Religious Freedom International 
Reciprocity Enhancement Act'' or the ``Religious FIRE Act''.

SEC. 2. RECIPROCITY ENFORCEMENT REGARDING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

    (a) In General.--It shall be unlawful for a foreign national of a 
country that limits the free exercise of religion in that country to 
make any expenditure in the United States to promote a religion.
    (b) Forfeiture.--Any asset consisting of such an expenditure or the 
proceeds of such an expenditure is subject to forfeiture to the United 
States. The Attorney General may, upon probable cause, seize any such 
asset and in a civil action obtain its forfeiture to the United States.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``country that limits the free exercise of 
        religion'' means a country designated as such by the Secretary 
        of State acting through the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, 
        Human Rights, and Labor; and
            (2) the term ``expenditure to promote a religion'' includes 
        the funding and practice of religious services, religious 
        education, evangelical outreach, and publication and 
        dissemination of religious literature.
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