House · On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as AmendedPassed
Yea 350 Nay 5 Present / not voting 74
H.R. 227 · 119th CongressIn committee
Clergy Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceClergy Act
This bill establishes a two-year window for certain members of the clergy and Christian Science practitioners to revoke their exemption from Social Security and Medicare taxes on ministerial earnings. Under current law, such individuals who object to participation in public insurance programs on religious or conscientious grounds may apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for an irrevocable exemption and will not receive Social Security or Medicare benefits in retirement unless they have qualifying credits from other employment.
The IRS must develop a plan to inform members of the clergy and Christian Science practitioners of their eligibility to revoke prior exemptions, pursuant to the bill's changes.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 7, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Introduced
January 7, 2025
In committee
April 28, 2026
Passed a chamber
Cleared Congress
Enacted
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 28, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 1 recorded roll-call vote cites this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
Vince Fong (R-CA) introduced it on January 7, 2025, and 21 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 6 Democrats, 15 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 7, 2025, 611 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 135 days ago, on April 28, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HousePassed on a recorded vote (official bill record may lag)
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentAwaits both chambers