Sikh American Anti-Discrimination Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7100 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7100 To direct the Attorney General to establish a task force on anti-Sikh hate and discrimination. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 15, 2026 Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Mr. Valadao) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To direct the Attorney General to establish a task force on anti-Sikh hate and discrimination. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Sikh American Anti-Discrimination Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TASK FORCE ON ANTI-SIKH HATE AND DISCRIMINATION. (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) Sikhi is a monotheistic, pragmatic, independent and sovereign world religion that was founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century in the Punjab region. (2) Sikhs are commonly identified by the wearing of turbans, long beards or mustaches, karas (iron bracelets) on their wrists, or kirpans. Kirpans are mandatory Sikh articles of faith carried by Amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs at all times. The word ``kirpan'' comes from two Punjabi words: ``Kirpa'' means an act of kindness, a favor and ``Aan'' means honor and self-respect. While some Sikhs wear a combination of these items; others may be seen without a turban or facial hair. (3) Anti-Sikh hate and discrimination refers to any act, practice, policy, or conduct that denies, restricts, or infringes upon the rights of individuals based on their actual or perceived Sikh faith, identity, ancestry, or expression. This includes incidents or crimes targeting Sikhs, individuals perceived to be Sikh, Gurdwaras (Sikh houses of