FAITH in Small Business Act
Introduced Jan 16, 2025 by Rep. Tracey Mann
It's waiting on a committee vote to reach the full chamber. Most bills never leave this stage.
This bill implements a proposed rule by the Small Business Administration (SBA) that allows certain faith-based organizations to access business loan and disaster assistance programs.
The programs include the Intermediary Lending Program (ILP), Business Loan programs (7(a), microloan, and 504 programs), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan (MREIDL) program, and Immediate Disaster Assistance Program (IDAP).
Current SBA regulations generally prohibit access to these programs if an organization is principally engaged in teaching, instructing, counseling, or indoctrinating religion or religious beliefs.
Recent Supreme Court opinions have found it unconstitutional to deny an otherwise qualified recipient access to a public benefit based solely on the organization's religious character (e.g., Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, 582 U.S. 449 (2017)).
Summary by the Congressional Research Service.
No floor votes yet — it hasn't reached the floor of either chamber.