Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018

Mr. President, I have 8 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

committee on armed services

The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Semi-Annual Report to Congress.''

committee on commerce, science, and transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 9:45 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

committee on finance

The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The 2018 Tax Filing Season and Future IRS Challenges.''

committee on foreign relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 10:15 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Mike Pompeo, of Kansas, to be Secretary of State.

committee on the judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on S. 994 and the following nominations: John B. Nalbandian, of Kentucky, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, Kari A. Dooley, to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut, Dominic W. Lanza, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona, Jill Aiko Otake, to be United States District Judge for the District of Hawaii, Michael Y. Scudder, of Illinois, and Amy J. St. Eve, of Illinois, both to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, Charles J. Williams, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa, and Joseph H. Hunt, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General, Timothy A. Garrison, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Kenji M. Price, to be United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, John Cary Bittick, to be United States Marshal for the Middle District of Georgia, David L. Lyons, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia, and Rodney D. Ostermiller, to be United States Marshal for the District of Montana, all of the Department of Justice.

select committee on intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at 2 p.m. to conduct a closed hearing.

subcommittee on regulatory affairs and federal management

The Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Reviewing the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.''

Mr. President, today I wish to speak on S. 994, the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018.

First, I want to thank Senator Hatch and the other supporters of the bill. In particular, I would also like to thank the House sponsors of the bill, Representatives Kustoff and Kilmer, for their work in shepherding it through that chamber.

I am glad to see this bill finally enacted into law.

Early last year, a string of bomb threats to synagogues, mosques, and other religious affiliated institutions, such as Jewish community centers, threatened this Nation and one of its core constitutional tenants: the free exercise of religion. In the wake of these threats, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing on religious hate crimes.

Just 1 month after that hearing, two Islamic centers in northern California were attacked during Ramadan. At the largest Sacramento mosque, a burned Quran was also filled with bacon and handcuffed to a fence. That mosque alone has been targeted multiple times.

Despicable acts like these have become far too common. The statistics are startling. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, from 2014 to 2016, anti-Muslim hate crimes increased 99.4 percent, from 154 reported incidents to 307 reported incidents. There has also been a rise in anti-Semitic incidents. The Anti-Defamation League reported 1,986 anti-Semitic incidents nationally in 2017, compared to 942 in 2015, an increase of 110 percent. We heard testimony in the Judiciary Committee that this increase came after the dangerous rhetoric that was used during the 2016 election cycle.

Unfortunately, this sort of persistent hateful rhetoric continues to plague our Nation and our political discourse. This was made manifest during a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville last summer that culminated in a young woman losing her life.

The clear lesson is that all of us must strongly condemn hateful acts and state in no uncertain terms that they have no place in our country. This legislation is one way for us to do that. This bill updates the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 to specifically prohibit threats of force made against religious real property, including the property of religiously affiliated institutions.

This update is critical because, while the current law prohibits the destruction of religious real property, it did not previously specify that threats against religious real property, such as threats of violence against Jewish community centers, are also hate crimes.

Finally, while this bill addresses religious hate crimes, we must remember that the motivations behind hate crimes extend far beyond religion. It does not matter if it is a crime based on one's religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or any other element of our shared humanity.

I am hopeful that the Judiciary Committee can continue to work together to protect all victims of hate, regardless of whom they are, whom they love, where they worship, or where they are from. Thank you.

Mr. President, I have 6 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Committee on Armed Services

The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Semiannual Testimony on the Federal Reserve's Supervision and Regulation of the Financial System.''

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Finance

The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Tackling Opioid and Substance Use Disorders in Medicare, Medicaid, and Human Services Programs.''

Committee on the Judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on bills S. 994 and S. 2644, then on the following nominations: John B. Nalbandian, of Kentucky, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, Kari A. Dooley, to be United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut, Dominic W. Lanza, to be United States District Judge for the District of Arizona, Michael Y. Scudder, of Illinois, and Amy J. St. Eve, of Illinois, both to be a United

States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, Charles J. Williams, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa, and Joseph H. Hunt, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General, Steven L. Gladden, to be United States Marshal for the Middle District of North Carolina, Nicola T. Hanna, to be United States Attorney for the Central District of California, Brendan O. Heffner, to be United States Marshal for the Central District of Illinois, and Theodor G. Short, to be United States Marshal for the District of Maine, all of the Department of Justice.

Select Committee on Intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 2 p.m. to conduct a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 394, S. 994.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 994) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for the protection of community centers with religious affiliation, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.