Only the right has signed this so far (Bill Ranking)
H.R. 9851 · 119th Congress (2025-2026)
1 member · Left 0 · Center 0 · Right 1 (Bill Ranking)
| Sponsor | Rep. Flood, Mike (R-NE) (Introduced 07/22/2026) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor Voting Record | Lean right · DW-NOMINATE +0.44 · measured from every roll-call vote this member has cast (voteview.com) (Sponsor Ranking) |
| Support |
LLLCLRR support across the spectrum: 1 member signed on (Bill Ranking) this bill: sponsor + current cosponsors, each once |
| Committees | House - Energy and Commerce Committee; House - Ways and Means Committee |
| Latest Action | 07/22/2026 Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| Roll Call Votes | There have been no roll call votes |
| Source | view on congress.gov → |
Introduced in House (07/22/2026)
Protecting Access to Spiritual Treatment and Organized Religion Act of 2026 or the PASTOR Act of 2026
This bill requires, as a condition of Medicare participation, health care providers to allow a clergy member access to a patient upon the patient's designation and request.
119 HR 9851 IH: PASTOR Act of 2026 U.S. House of Representatives 2026-07-22 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I119th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 9851IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJuly 22, 2026Mr. Flood introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedA BILLTo amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require providers of services to provide patients access to clergy.
1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Protecting Access to Spiritual Treatment and Organized Religion Act of 2026 or the PASTOR Act of 2026.
2.Requiring providers of services to provide patients access to clergySection 1866(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395cc(a)(1)) is amended— (1)in subparagraph (X), by striking and at the end; (2)in subparagraph (Y), by striking the period and inserting , and; and (3)by inserting after subparagraph (Y) the following new subparagraph: (Z)beginning January 1, 2028, upon request of an individual receiving items and services from such provider and notwithstanding any waiver under section 1135, to allow a member of clergy designated by such individual access to such individual, provided that such clergy member adheres to such safety measures and other protocols as may be specified by the Secretary (in consultation with providers of services, States, and religious organizations)..
The bill's own words, from our database (synced from the GPO BILLS XML); paragraph breaks added at the bill's section boundaries, nothing else changed.
| Date | Chamber | All Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 07/22/2026 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 07/22/2026 | Library of Congress | Introduced in House |
| 07/22/2026 | House floor actions | Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| 07/22/2026 | House floor actions | Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. |
| Title Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Display Title | Protecting Access to Spiritual Treatment and Organized Religion Act of 2026 |
| Short Title(s) as Introduced | Protecting Access to Spiritual Treatment and Organized Religion Act of 2026 |
| Official Title as Introduced | To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require providers of services to provide patients access to clergy. |
There are no amendments to this bill.
There are no cosponsors of this bill.
| Committee | Activity |
|---|---|
| House - Energy and Commerce Committee | 07/22/2026 Referred To |
| House - Ways and Means Committee | 07/22/2026 Referred To |
No related bill information was received for H.R. 9851.
Policy Area: Health
No legislative subjects have been assigned yet.
All data on this page comes from our own database (legislation.congress_* tables), synced daily from the GPO govinfo BILLSTATUS and BILLS collections. Formatted after congress.gov; nothing is generated. Member placement is their DW-NOMINATE score (voteview.com, Lewis et al.) - a measurement of roll-call voting behavior, not our judgement. Buckets: Left below −0.50 · Lean Left to −0.25 · Center to +0.25 · Lean Right to +0.50 · Right above +0.50. The bill's Support meter aggregates the people who signed the bill - sponsor and current cosponsors, each counted once - nothing else.