Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 17 September 2026

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Faith groups urge passage of bipartisan bill that would protect houses of worship from protest

More than 30 Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and other faith groups urged Congress to pass the bipartisan Right to Worship Act, which would impose civil penalties and allow lawsuits against people who knowingly and substantially disrupt scheduled religious services within 100 feet of a house of worship. House sponsors Reps. Tom Suozzi and Brad Knott said the bill aims to balance free-speech rights with the right to worship and provide a remedy when local authorities do not prosecute disruptive conduct. The legislation follows a January 2026 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, where about three dozen demonstrators entered during a Sunday worship service and disrupted the gathering while protesting one of the church’s pastors, who also served as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The St. Paul City Attorney’s Office later declined to bring state charges, citing insufficient evidence, while federal charges against more than 30 protesters remain pending. With the House in recess until after the November midterm elections, supporters are seeking progress on the Senate companion bill sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz and Elissa Slotkin.

Analyst Comments: The proposed bill’s practical effect will depend on how courts define a scheduled religious service and apply the interstate-commerce requirement. Faith-based organizations may monitor the bill’s scope and legislative progress as part of security planning.