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HR 3288 105th Congress House

Public Expression of Religion Act of 1998

Official title: To amend the Revised Statutes of the United States to eliminate the chilling effect on the constitutionally protected expression of religion by State and local… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To amend the Revised Statutes of the United States to eliminate the chilling effect on the constitutionally protected expression of religion by State and local officials that results from the threat that potential litigants may seek damages and attorney's fees.

Introduced: February 26, 1998 See on congress.gov
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Administrative responsibilityChurch and stateCivil rights enforcementGovernment Operations and Politics
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
InjunctionsLawLegal feesLocal employeesLocal officialsReligionReligious libertyState employeesState officials
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This bill died when the 105th Congress ended
It never became law before the 105th Congress (1997–1998) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 20, 1998
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property.
Feb 26, 1998
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 26, 1998
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 20, 1998

Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Public Expression of Religion Act of 1998 - Amends Federal law regarding civil actions for deprivation of rights to: (1) limit the remedies with respect to a claim under such law to injunctive relief where the deprivation consists of a violation of a prohibition in the Constitution against the establishment of religion; and (2) prohibit the award of attorney's fees with respect to such a claim.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 2
All 2 Republican 2
R
Wicker, Roger F.
Mississippi · Mar 12, 1998
 R
Aderholt, Robert B.
Alabama · Feb 26, 1998
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3288: Public Expression of Religion Act of 1998. 105th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-3288/
MLA
"H.R. 3288: Public Expression of Religion Act of 1998." 105th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-3288/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3288, 105th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-3288/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3288: Public Expression of Religion Act of 1998](https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-3288/)
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