S. 2043: Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012

112th Congress · introduced 2012-01-30 · Health · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-01-30 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012

Plain summary

Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit any guideline or regulation issued relating to the coverage of preventive health services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or any other provision of PPACA to: (1) require any individual or entity to offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or related education or counseling, to which that individual or entity is opposed on the basis of religious belief; or (2) require any individual or entity opposed by reason of religious belief to provide coverage of a contraceptive or sterilization service or to engage in government-mandated speech regarding such a service. Declares that nothing in PPACA and no regulations or guidelines issued under PPACA shall be construed to authorize the imposition of a sanction or otherwise disadvantage an individual or entity on the basis of a religiously based decision made by that individual or entity to not offer, provide, or purchase coverage for a contraceptive or sterilization service, or to engage in a government-mandated speech regarding such service.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] · 30 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Hoeven (R-ND), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), James E. Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Thune (R-SD), John Boozman (R-AR), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s2043.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s2043 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112