# Plain Language Summary: Prohibiting Religious Exemption and Accommodations Databases Act

This bill would make it illegal for employers, schools, government agencies, and other organizations to create or maintain databases that track people who have requested religious exemptions or accommodations. A religious exemption or accommodation is when someone asks to be excused from a requirement—like a vaccine, work schedule, or dress code—because of their religious beliefs.

Right now, some organizations keep lists of employees or students who have requested religious accommodations. This bill says that practice has to stop. Organizations would be prohibited from collecting, storing, or sharing information that identifies individuals based on their religious exemption requests. The bill applies broadly to private employers, educational institutions, federal agencies, and other covered entities. If an organization violates this rule, people could potentially take legal action against them.

The main concern behind this bill is privacy and discrimination. Supporters worry that maintaining these databases could lead to discrimination—for example, an employer might use a list of people who requested religious accommodations to make unfair decisions about hiring, promotions, or scheduling. By banning these databases, the bill aims to protect people's privacy and reduce the risk that their religious beliefs could be used against them. However, the bill would still allow organizations to process individual accommodation requests and make decisions about them; it just prevents them from creating searchable lists or records that track who has made such requests.

Prohibiting Religious Exemption and Accommodations Databases Act

Marshall, Roger

Prohibiting Religious Exemption and Accommodations Databases Act This bill prohibits federal agencies from disclosing to other agencies or organizations any information relating to the religious beliefs, identity, or affiliation of an individual with a religious accommodation, including with respect to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. The bill specifically incorporates such information into the Privacy Act of 1974 (which restricts how agencies may disclose or share records that identify individuals in the absence of written consent) and exempts related records from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (which provides the public a right to access federal agency information).