Skip to main content
HR 5480 117th Congress House

To clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and to amend such Act to prohibit emergency…

Official title: To clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and to amend… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and to amend such Act to prohibit emergency temporary standards with respect to vaccines, and for other purposes.

Introduced: October 5, 2021 Introduced by: Estes, Ron Republican · Kansas See on congress.gov
Labor and Employment Administrative law and regulatory proceduresDepartment of LaborEmployment discrimination and employee rightsFirst Amendment rights
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Immunology and vaccinationReligionWorker safety and health
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) 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
Oct 5, 2021
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Oct 5, 2021
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action October 5, 2021

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

This bill places certain restrictions on employer-based vaccination requirements.

Specifically, the bill prohibits the Department of Labor from issuing an emergency temporary occupational safety or health standard that requires employers to ensure their employees receive a vaccine.

In addition, the bill expressly applies the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) to occupational health and safety rules issued by Labor. Currently, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5480: To clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and to amend such Act to prohibit emergency temporary standards with respect to vaccines, and for other purposes.. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5480/
MLA
"H.R. 5480: To clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and to amend such Act to prohibit emergency temporary standards with respect to vaccines, and for other purposes.." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5480/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5480, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5480/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5480: To clarify the applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to rules issued under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and to amend such Act to prohibit emergency temporary standards with respect to vaccines, and for other purposes.](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-5480/)
Report a problem