H.R. 5645 — Pray Safe Act of 2025

This section defines terms used in the Act, including "(1) Clearinghouse," meaning the Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and Houses of Worship established under section 3(a); "(2) Department," meaning the Department of Homeland Security; "(3) faith-based organization," meaning a nonprofit organization with a religious, ideological, or spiritual motivation, character, affiliation, or purpose; "(4) house of worship," meaning a place or building such as a synagogue, mosque, temple, or church where congregants practice religious or spiritual beliefs; "(5) nonprofit organization," meaning a tax-exempt organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that the Secretary determines to be at risk of a terrorist attack or other threat; "(6) safety and security," meaning prevention of, protection against, or recovery from threats and incidents, including natural disasters, manmade disasters, or terrorist attacks; and "(7) Secretary," meaning the Secretary of Homeland Security.

This section establishes within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), not later than 270 days after enactment, a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-Based Organizations, and Houses of Worship. The Clearinghouse serves as the primary federal resource to publish online evidence-based best practices and recommendations—developed using tiers prioritizing strong evidence from experimental studies, moderate evidence from quasi-experimental studies, and promising evidence—for improving physical and online safety and security, including threat prevention, preparedness, protection, mitigation, incident response, recovery, and resiliency against natural disasters, manmade disasters, terrorist attacks, and other threats. It also maintains a comprehensive index of eligible federal grant programs (including required performance metrics) and provides a designated point of contact for information and assistance. The Secretary of DHS must assign or detail qualified personnel familiar with these organizations and security measures.

This section directs the Comptroller General to submit to Congress a report on the state of federal grants devoted to safety and security for nonprofit organizations—including faith-based organizations and houses of worship—and an evaluation of relevant federal programs and resources for such purposes as of the report date.