SACRED Act

On April 9, 2026, Representative Suozzi (D-NY) introduced HR8239, the Safeguarding Access to Congregations and Religious Establishments from Disruption (SACRED) Act. The bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, its first and only action to date. The bill proposes amending Title 18 of the US Code to establish a new federal crime for engaging in harassment or intimidation of persons lawfully entering or exiting a place of religious worship, within a 100-foot buffer zone. Penalties range from fines up to $10,000 and imprisonment up to six months for first-time nonviolent offenses, escalating to 10 years if bodily injury results. This is purely a criminal penalty bill—it authorizes zero spending, creates no new programs, directs no grants, and imposes no regulatory compliance costs on private companies. There is no money trail. The only federal entity that would see any budget impact is the Department of Justice for potential prosecution, but the bill does not authorize or appropriate any funds for that purpose. Because the bill creates no market mechanism—no mandate to buy goods or services, no tax credit, no subsidy, no regulation of commercial activity—there are no publicly traded companies with a direct, causal exposure. No tickers meet the 0.65 confidence gate. Speculation about security camera providers, property owners near religious sites, or insurance companies would require three or more inferential steps with no basis in the bill text. At this stage—single-chamber introduction, referred to committee, no hearings scheduled, no companion Senate bill, and only 7 cosponsors—the probability of enactment in this Congress is low. Even if passed, the economic footprint would be negligible. This is a procedural bill with no near-term market relevance.