A bill to amend chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, to impose criminal penalties and provide a civil action for damage to religious property and for injury to persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs.
Public Law 100-346 · S. 794 · 100th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Jun 24, 1988 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH)
Cosponsors (14): Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Sen. Daniel Inouye,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criminal penalties for: (1) intentionally defacing, damaging, or destroying (or attempting to deface, damage, or destroy) any religious real property because of the religious character of that property (provided the loss from such defacement, damage, or destruction exceeds $10,000); or (2) intentionally obstructing (or attempting to obstruct) any person's free exercise of religious beliefs.
Precludes any prosecution under this Act unless the Attorney General provides written notice that, in his judgment, prosecution by the United States is in the public interest and necessary to secure justice.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Jun 24, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-346.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 17, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jun 14, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- May 18, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Apr 27, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Mar 24, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Feb 12, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Nov 17, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Mar 19, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.