Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB1627

LRB104 03758 JRC 13782 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1627

Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Steve McClure

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

775 ILCS 35/15

Amends the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Provides that any order, rule, regulation, or other directive issued by government pursuant to an emergency, health, or safety determination that requires closure or limitation of any place of worship entitled to the religious exemption found in Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code is considered a substantial burden even if the order, rule, regulation, or other directive is one of general applicability.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning human rights.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act is amended by changing Section 15 as follows:

(775 ILCS 35/15)

Sec. 15. Free exercise of religion protected. Government may not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, unless it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person (i) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and (ii) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest. Any order, rule, regulation, or other directive issued by government pursuant to an emergency, health, or safety determination that requires closure or limitation of any place of worship entitled to the religious exemption found in Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code is considered a substantial burden even if the order, rule, regulation, or other directive is one of general applicability.

(Source: P.A. 90-806, eff. 12-2-98.)