Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to recent church burnings.
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Condemns the burning of African-American churches. Sends condolences to affected individuals. Supports the activities of local law enforcement officials, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Treasury in investigating these incidents.
Urges: (1) the United States Attorney General and local prosecutors to seek the maximum penalty available under law to punish the perpetrators; and (2) the President to make the fullest possible use of all available law enforcement resources to bring the culprits to justice.
Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) attacks on places of worship because of the race, color, denomination, or ethnicity of the congregation undermine fundamental American ideals; (2) these fires appear to be hate crimes and implicitly interfere with the First Amendment and other civil rights of the victims; (3) the arson of a place of worship is repulsive to us as a society; and (4) it is important that the Congress enact legislation to ensure that Federal law enforcement has the necessary tools to punish and deter such acts.
Encourages: (1) the people of the United States to work within their own communities to prevent arson against African-American or any other house of worship; and (2) the American people to use June 16th as a day of prayer concerning these tragedies.
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H. Con. Res. 186: Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to recent church burnings.. 104th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/104-HCONRES-186/
"H. Con. Res. 186: Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to recent church burnings.." 104th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/104-HCONRES-186/.
H. Con. Res. 186, 104th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/104-HCONRES-186/.
[H. Con. Res. 186: Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to recent church burnings.](https://openamerica.io/bill/104-HCONRES-186/)