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HR 172 115th Congress House Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Elections, voting, political campaign regulation First Amendment rights Religion Tax-exempt organizations

To restore the Free Speech and First Amendment rights of churches and exempt organizations by repealing the 1954 Johnson Amendment.

Introduced: January 3, 2017 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 3, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Jan 3, 2017
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the prohibition against churches and other tax-exempt organizations participating in political campaigns or supporting or opposing candidates for public office. The bill specifies that provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 are not invalidated or limited by the repeal.

What's happening now January 3, 2017

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Republican 3
Brat, Dave
· Jun 7, 2018
 R
Biggs, Andy
Arizona · Apr 11, 2018
 R
Massie, Thomas
Kentucky · Jan 29, 2018
 R
Hudson, Richard
North Carolina · Jan 11, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 172: To restore the Free Speech and First Amendment rights of churches and exempt organizations by repealing the 1954 Johnson Amendment.. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-172/
MLA
"H.R. 172: To restore the Free Speech and First Amendment rights of churches and exempt organizations by repealing the 1954 Johnson Amendment.." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-172/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 172, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-172/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 172: To restore the Free Speech and First Amendment rights of churches and exempt organizations by repealing the 1954 Johnson Amendment.](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-172/)
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