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Bills/119th Congress · House

H.R. 9353

Introduced

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt qualified religious institutions from the excise tax on investment income.

Sponsor
RMike Kelly· Pennsylvania
Introduced
June 18, 2026
Policy area
Taxation
Latest action
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.June 18, 2026
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9353 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9353

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt qualified 
religious institutions from the excise tax on investment income.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 18, 2026

Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt qualified 
religious institutions from the excise tax on investment income.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. EXEMPTION OF QUALIFIED RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS FROM EXCISE 
TAX ON INVESTMENT INCOME.

(a) In General.--Section 4968(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (3), by 
striking the period at the end of paragraph (4) and inserting ``, 
and'', and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(5) which is not a qualified religious institution.''.
(b) Qualified Religious Institution.--Section 4968 of such Code is 
amended by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (i) and by 
inserting after subsection (g) the following new subsection:
``(h) Qualified Religious Institution.--For purposes of subsection 
(c)(5), the term `qualified religious institution' means any 
institution--
``(1) which was established after July 4, 1776,
``(2) which was established by or in association with an 
organization described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(i),
``(3) which--
``(A) has at least 25 percent of the members of its 
highest governing body as being either--
``(i) appointed or approved by such 
organization, or
``(ii) required under the governing 
documents of the institution to be clerical 
members of such organization,
``(B) is party to a formal written agreement with 
such organization that expressly acknowledges the 
institution's historical and ongoing relationship with 
the organization, and sets forth shared commitments 
relating to institutional mission, values, or 
engagement with the religious traditions of the 
organization, or
``(C) is formally designated as a religious 
institution by the governing body of such organization 
based on an evaluation of the institution's alignment 
with the organization's religious identity, values, or 
educational mission, and
``(4) which maintains a published institutional mission 
which is approved by the governing body of such institution and 
which includes, refers to, or is predicated upon religious 
tenets, beliefs, or teachings.''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) 
shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025.
(d) Regulatory Deadline.--Not later than December 31, 2026, the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe such regulations or other 
guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes 
of the amendments made by subsections (a) and (b).
<all>

Plain-language analysis

AI analysis · 100% confidence

AI-generated breakdown of the bill text above, checked by an independent review pass before publishing. It is analysis, not the law itself — the verbatim text and official source are the record.

In plain terms

This bill aims to change the tax rules for certain religious institutions. It proposes to exempt 'qualified religious institutions' from an excise tax on their investment income. To qualify, these institutions must meet specific criteria related to their establishment, governance, and relationship with certain organizations. The changes would take effect for tax years starting after December 31, 2025.

Hidden provisions

  • SECTION 1. EXEMPTION OF QUALIFIED RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS FROM EXCISE TAX ON INVESTMENT INCOME.

    the term 'qualified religious institution' means any institution which was established after July 4, 1776, which was established by or in association with an organization described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(i), and which maintains a published institutional mission which is approved by the governing body of such institution and which includes, refers to, or is predicated upon religious tenets, beliefs, or teachings.

    A normal reader might overlook the specific criteria that define what a 'qualified religious institution' is, which is crucial for understanding who benefits from the tax exemption.

Questionable / off-intent provisions

No off-intent or questionable provisions were flagged.

Junk / unrelated provisions

No filler or unrelated riders were flagged.

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