HR 3 - No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act

The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act was introduced by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4) Thursday, January 20, 2011. The measure would prohibit the federal funding of abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother.

Currently, most direct abortion funding by the government is prohibited by a patchwork of annual amendments to spending bills. Chief among these is the Hyde amendment, which blocks abortion funding by the Department of Health and Human Services. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act would apply the Hyde amendment’s prohibition to all federal departments and agencies; further, it would write the prohibition into statutory law, eliminating the need for annual renewals of the various pro-life amendments.

HR 3 would also bar government discrimination against any health care professional, hospital, insurance plan, or other entity because of that person’s or entity’s refusal to perform, pay for, or refer for abortion.

Text

View a copy of the HR 3’s full text (PDF)

Status/Co-sponsorship

It currently has 227 co-sponsors.

Status

1-20-11 H.R. 3 referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary.

2-1-11 Referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.

2-4-11 Referred to the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution.

2-8-11 Hearings held by the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution.

3-3-11 Judiciary Committee votes 23-14 to pass H.R. 3 with technical amendments.

4-7-11 Discharged from the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

4-7-11 Discharged from the Committee on Ways and Means.

4-7-11 Placed on the House calendar.

5-4-11 House to take up consideration of H.R. 3.

5-4-11: House passes H.R. 3

Statements

Excerpts from record of House Floor speeches from Congressman Chris Smith on HR 3

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities press release on passage of H.R. 3 in the House of Representatives (5-5-11)

Letter to Congress Regarding “No Tax Payer Funding for Abortion Act” (H.R. 3) (January 20, 2011)
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo , Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities, USCCB

Read a message to the media from Congressman Joe Pitts (pdf)

Smith, Lipinski, Pitts Speak Out: No Taxpayer Funds for Abortion (January 20, 2011)

A statement from Congressman Chris Smith (January 20, 2011) - pdf

Speaker Boehner Hails Introduction of the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act”

Majority Leader Eric Cantor Statement on "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" (January 20, 2011)

The testimony in favor of H.R. 3 by Richard M. Doerflinger on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution on February 8, 2011 may be viewed at http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Doerflinger110208.pdf.

The testimony in favor of H.R. 3 by Cathy Cleaver Ruse, J.D., Senior Fellow for Legal Studies at the Family Research Council, before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution on February 8, 2011 may be viewed at http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/Ruse100208.pdf.

The statement of Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith on the passage of H.R. 3 by his committee on March 3, 2011 may be viewed at http://judiciary.house.gov/news/Statement03032011.html.

The statement of Congressman Chris Smith on the passage of H.R. 3 by the House Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2011 may be viewed at http://chrissmith.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=227270.

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