A 1848: Enacts the Protecting Religious Assembly in States of Emergency (PRAISE) Act; prohibits any governmental entity from discriminating against and closing a place of worship during an emergency.
The bill aims to protect places of worship during emergencies by prohibiting any governmental entity from discriminating against and closing a place of worship. It adds a new section to the civil rights law, which states that any order requiring closure or limitation of a business or facility, but not exempting certain entities, shall also exempt places of worship entitled to a religious exemption. This provision ensures that religious institutions and places of worship have the same freedom to meet as the most favored entities. The bill allows individuals burdened or impaired by a violation to bring a civil action for relief, seeking injunctive orders, compensatory damages, nominal damages, a declaration of a violation, and punitive damages if malice or recklessness is demonstrated. The bill takes effect immediately.
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to governmental operations |
| Jan. 14, 2025 | referred to governmental operations |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1848 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ANGELINO -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to prohibiting any governmental entity from discriminating against and closing a place of worship during an emergency The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Protecting 2 Religious Assembly in States of Emergency (PRAISE) Act". 3 § 2. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section 79-r to 4 read as follows: 5 § 79-r. Protecting religious assembly in states of emergency. 1. 6 Protection for places of worship. Any order, rule, regulation, or other 7 directive, issued by any governmental entity pursuant to an emergency or 8 health or safety determination, that requires closure or limitation of 9 any business or other facility otherwise open to public use or patro- 10 nage, but which exempts in whole or in part any particular entity or set 11 of entities, shall exempt to the same extent any place of worship enti- 12 tled to the religious exemption found in Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 13 of the United States Code, to the same extent as the exempt entity. This 14 section shall be construed to afford to religious institutions and plac- 15 es of worship the same degree of freedom to meet as is afforded to the 16 most favored entity or set of entities. 17 2. Enforcement. Any person or entity burdened or impaired by a 18 violation of this section may bring a civil action for relief against 19 such burden or impairment in any court of competent jurisdiction. Relief 20 may include injunctive orders, compensatory damages, nominal damages, a 21 declaration of a violation, and, where malice or recklessness is demon- 22 strated, punitive damages. 23 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04238-01-5