Bill Endorsements

The ERLC advocates before Congress on behalf of the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention, working to apply biblical principles to issues of public policy. As the public policy arm of the SBC, the ERLC engages lawmakers on issues that matter to Southern Baptists and the common good.

In the 119th Congress (2025–2026), the ERLC has championed legislation containing policy solutions that are rooted in Scripture, reflective of the Baptist Faith & Message, and responsive to actions taken by SBC messengers. The bills listed below represent the ERLC’s advocacy across four key areas: life, religious liberty, marriage and family, and human dignity.

This list will be updated as bills are introduced throughout the legislative session and are analyzed by the ERLC’s public policy team.

LIFE

The Baptist Faith & Message summarizes the biblical revelation that every person bears the image of God, and thus, is worthy of protection and dignity, regardless of age, level of ability, or stage of development. Guided by Scripture and the convictions of Southern Baptists, we support legislation that defends the dignity of every person made in the image of God and promotes a culture of life.

Bereaved Parents Rights Act —would ensure that that healthcare providers promptly inform parents of their rights after losing a child to miscarriage or stillbirth, allowing families to properly mourn the loss of their child.
Born Alive Abortion Survivor Protection Act – would require life-saving medical treatment be given to a baby that survives a failed abortion and is delivered alive.
Conscience Protection for Medical Residents Act – would require that any accredited hospital residency program reimbursed under Medicare must have residents opt in to receive training for performing abortions rather than requiring them to opt out.
Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act of 2025 — would ban dismemberment abortions and institute civil penalties for physicians that perform them.
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025 – would prohibit physicians from performing an abortion without first determining if the preborn baby has a detectable heartbeat, without informing the mother, or after finding a detectable heartbeat.
Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act – would prohibit federal, state, and local governments, or any entity receiving federal money, from discriminating against, penalizing, or retaliating against an entity because it offers life-affirming support and resources to women facing unexpected pregnancy, offers life-affirming alternatives to abortion, or refrains from counseling toward abortion.
Life Month Resolution – a resolution to commemorate June as “Life Month”.
MOMS Act – would connect pregnant women with local resources, assist with providing grants to women in rural or medically underserved areas, and improve state-level reporting on child welfare agencies.
National Day of Tears Resolution – a resolution to memorialize the estimated 62 million preborn lives lost to abortion and recommend lowering the United States flag to half-staff annually on January 22, marking the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025 – would prohibit the use of federal funds for abortions or for health coverage that includes abortions.
Pregnant Students’ Rights Act – would require institutions of higher education to disseminate information regarding pregnancy resources and Title IX protections to pregnant students in an effort to ensure students that wish to do so are able to carry their pregnancies to term.
Pregnant Woman Health and Safety Act – would impose additional federal requirements on abortion providers and clinics with the stated goal of improving patient safety and oversight, including ability for the patient to receive follow-up care within 15 miles of the clinic.
Protect Funding for Women’s Healthcare Act – would bar all federal funding to Planned Parenthood and large abortion providers, and would redirect those funds to other health centers that provide health services to women.
Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act – would prohibit a physician from performing an abortion if the woman is seeking to end her pregnancy, in whole or in part, because of a Down Syndrome diagnosis.
Restoring Safeguards for Dangerous Abortion Drugs Act – would reinstate longstanding FDA safety protocols for mifepristone like safety checkups and in-person doctor prescribing requirements, and would end the mail-order distribution of abortion drugs; would also create a private right of action for women who suffer physical or mental health harm from taking the chemical abortion pill.
Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act – would revoke FDA approval of the chemical abortion drug for the purpose of abortion, and establish a right for women harmed by the drug to sue its manufacturers.
SAVE Moms and Babies Act – would prohibit the approval of new abortion drugs, prohibit investigational use exemptions for abortion drugs, and add regulatory requirements for previously approved abortion drugs.
Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act – would cement states’ ability to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support pregnancy resource centers.
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act – would prohibit Title X family planning grants from being awarded to entities that perform abortions or provide funding to others that perform abortions.
Unborn Child Support Act – would enable expecting mothers to receive child support payments during pregnancy, applicable retroactively, based on a court order at the request of the mother and a determination by a physician of the month during which the child was conceived.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

“God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate.”

In this way, the Baptist Faith & Message summarizes the biblical teaching on religious liberty and freedom of conscience, a Baptist distinctive. The ERLC works to advance legislation that protects the freedom of individuals, churches, and ministries to live out their faith in the public square.

Charitable Act – would create a universal charitable deduction for non-itemizing taxpayers up to one third of the standard deduction.
Clergy Act – would create a two-year re-enrollment period for clergy members who have previously exempted from Social Security taxes who wish to receive benefits upon retirement.
Conscience Protection Act – would codify existing appropriations riders that ensure conscience rights for health care workers who do not wish to perform abortions.
Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer Resolution – a resolution declaring May 17, 2026 as a national day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer, in honor of the 250th anniversary of a 1776 resolution urging the American colonies to observe this same occasion.
Equal Campus Access Act – would prevent funds given under the Higher Education Act from going to schools that discriminate against religious student groups by denying them access to facilities and resources otherwise available to them.
Fair Treatment for Religious Organizations Act – would protect the tax-exempt status of religious organizations from predatory administrations and actions for the religious organization’s beliefs surrounding marriage, gender identity, and sexuality, including if those beliefs are inconsistent with the law.
H. Res. 220 – a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that Nigeria should be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for tolerating the ongoing persecution of Christians.
H. Res. 594 – a resolution expressing the sense of Congress to condemn religious persecution of Christians in muslim majority countries.
H.Res.1259 / S. Res. 728 — resolution urging the President to ask for the release of people of faith who are being detained and persecuted by the government of the People’s Republic of China.
Religious Workforce Protection Act – would grant religious workers on five-year R-1 visas the ability to remain in the U.S. after visa expiration and to apply for a new R-1 visa, provided they are actively in the process of transitioning to an EB-4 visa, avoiding separating pastors from their congregations.
Safeguarding Charity Act – would protect nonprofits and religious organizations by making clear that their tax-exempt status is not equivalent to accepting “federal financial assistance” and, therefore, making clear they are not subject to certain conditions attached to federal funding.
S.Res. 52 – a resolution recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental human right, expressing concern over threats to religious freedom around the world, and supporting international religious freedom as a pillar of US foreign policy.
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Reauthorization Act of 2025 – would reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom through Fiscal Year 2028 to continue its independent monitoring of international religious freedom conditions, reviewing U.S. government policy, and making policy recommendations.
Uyghur Policy Act – would provide a comprehensive policy strategy to support the Uyghur people who are suffering active persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, including: pressing authorities in China to open the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) to transparent visits, ensuring the preservation of the identity of the Uyghurs, commending countries who have aided Uyghurs in exile, strategizing how to obtain released prisoners, and dictating support for Uyghurs at the United Nations.

MARRIAGE & FAMILY

The Baptist Faith & Message affirms the biblical teaching of marriage and family as creation ordinances and blessings from God, foundational to human flourishing. As our nation continues to grapple with the realities of the sexual revolution and radical gender ideology, we will continue to advocate for policies that maintain God’s good design for life together.

Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act – makes the Adoption Tax Credit for adoption-related expenses refundable.
Chloe Cole Act of 2026 – would give children and their parents the right to sue physicians, clinics, and hospitals that participate in a child’s “gender transition”, effectively banning these drugs and procedures.
End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act – prohibits the use of federal funding for “gender transition” procedures, including surgery and hormone therapy.
Eyes on the Board Act (Title 2 of the Kids off Social Media Act) – would require schools that receive federal broadband funding to block access to social media sites and develop screen time policies.
Fairness for Stay-at-Home Parents Act – prohibits an employer from clawing back healthcare premiums from an employee if that employee chooses not to return to work after the birth of a child.
Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act – would protect the right of parents to “direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children” by requiring the Supreme Court to review all parental rights cases involving the federal government under “strict scrutiny”, the highest level of judicial review.
Family Month Resolution – a resolution to commemorate June as “Family Month” instead of “Pride Month.”
Protecting Minors from Medical Malpractice Act – would make a medical practitioner who performs a “gender transition” procedure on an individual who is less than 18 years of age liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, or physiological harm from the procedure for 30 years after the individual turns 18.
Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act – would clarify that it is a Title IX violation for schools that receive federal education funds to permit biological males to participate in female sports.
STOP Act – would prohibit “gender transitions” for minors by strictly regulating any interstate and foreign commerce activity that furthers a minor’s access to “gender transition” drugs or procedures.

HUMAN DIGNITY

“The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.”

The Baptist Faith & Message both summarizes the biblical truth that every person bears the image of God, and thus, is worthy of protection and dignity, regardless of age, level of ability, or stage of development, and echoes the biblical mandate to seek justice and righteousness, especially for those who are vulnerable. The ERLC advocates for legislation that defends the vulnerable, combats injustice and exploitation, and promotes the wellbeing of every human life.

CHATBOT Act – would regulate AI chatbot use for children by requiring minors under 13 to obtain parental consent to use an AI chatbot under a “family” account and requiring “teen” accounts not linked to a “family” account to be locked to the strictest safety settings.
GUARD Act – would require age verification for AI chatbot platforms to prevent children under 18 from accessing AI companions.
Preventing Violence against Female Inmates Act – would prohibit correctional institutions at the federal and state levels from housing inmates of one biological sex with inmates of the other biological sex.
Reporting Accountability and Abuse Prevention Act – would require recipients of grants for family planning services to demonstrate their compliance with state and local laws that mandate reporting of child abuse, human trafficking, or other mistreatment.
S. Res. 236 – a resolution calling for the return of abducted Ukrainian children before finalizing any peace agreement to end the war against Ukraine.
SAFE for Kids Act – would mandate adult websites implement age verification measures to ensure that children cannot obtain access to the harmful sexual content hosted by the platform.
SCREEN Act – would protect children from harmful, obscene, and pornographic content online by requiring platforms that host such content to implement age verification processes.