119th Congress
S. 639
Clergy Act
- Introduced
- In committee
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To President
- Became law
- Sponsor
- Katie Boyd Britt(R-AL)
- Introduced
- Feb 19, 2025
- Policy area
- Social Welfare
- Committees
- Senate Committee on Finance
- Official text
- Introduced in Senate · Congress.gov page
Cosponsors (3)
Original cosponsors (1)
- Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH)
Added later (2)
- Christopher A. Coons (D-DE) · Jun 11, 2026
- James Lankford (R-OK) · Jun 11, 2026
Summary
Summary by the Congressional Research Service· describes the “Introduced in Senate” version
Clergy 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 for an irrevocable exemption and will not receive Social Security or Medicare benefits in retirement unless they have qualifying credits from other employment.
The Internal Revenue Service 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.
Roll-call votes
No recorded votes on this bill.
Actions
- Feb 19, 2025 · Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. - Feb 19, 2025
Introduced in Senate