Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act Signed into Law

(Washington, DC, Dec. 19, 2016)–President Obama has signed H.R. 1150, the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, the first piece of legislation to specifically mention and include protection for “non-theists,” into law.

Upon learning of the Act’s passage, American Humanist Association Executive Director Roy Speckhardt said, ““The American Humanist Association is proud to see this historic legislation signed into law and looks forward to working with the US Department of State to ensure religious liberty for non-theists and religious minorities abroad. That non-theists are now recognized as a protected class is a significant step toward full acceptance and inclusion for non-religious individuals, who are still far too often stigmatized and persecuted around the world.”

You can read the full text of the Act below or online here.

One Hundred Fourteenth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,

the fourth day of January, two thousand and sixteen

An Act

To amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to improve the ability

of the United States to advance religious freedom globally through enhanced

diplomacy, training, counterterrorism, and foreign assistance efforts, and through

stronger and more flexible political responses to religious freedom violations and

violent extremism worldwide, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Frank R.

Wolf International Religious Freedom Act’’.

(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for this Act

is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Findings; policy; sense of Congress.

Sec. 3. Definitions.

TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF STATE ACTIVITIES

Sec. 101. Office on International Religious Freedom; Ambassador at Large for

International Religious Freedom.

Sec. 102. Annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

Sec. 103. Training for Foreign Service officers.

Sec. 104. Prisoner lists and issue briefs on religious freedom concerns.

TITLE II—NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

Sec. 201. Special Adviser for International Religious Freedom.

TITLE III—PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

Sec. 301. Non-state actor designations.

Sec. 302. Presidential actions in response to particularly severe violations of religious

freedom.

Sec. 303. Report to Congress.

Sec. 304. Presidential waiver.

Sec. 305. Publication in the Federal Register.

TITLE IV—PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Sec. 401. Assistance for promoting religious freedom.

TITLE V—DESIGNATED PERSONS LIST FOR PARTICULARLY SEVERE

VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Sec. 501. Designated Persons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Religious

Freedom.

TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 601. Miscellaneous provisions.

Sec. 602. Clerical amendments.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; POLICY; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

(a) FINDINGS.—Section 2(a) of the International Religious

Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)) is amended—

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(1) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘The freedom of thought,

conscience, and religion is understood to protect theistic and

non-theistic beliefs and the right not to profess or practice

any religion.’’ before ‘‘Governments’’;

(2) in paragraph (4), by adding at the end the following:

‘‘A policy or practice of routinely denying applications for visas

for religious workers in a country can be indicative of a poor

state of religious freedom in that country.’’; and

(3) in paragraph (6)—

(A) by inserting ‘‘and the specific targeting of nontheists,

humanists, and atheists because of their beliefs’’

after ‘‘religious persecution’’; and

(B) by inserting ‘‘and in regions where non-state actors

exercise significant political power and territorial control’’

before the period at the end.

(b) POLICY.—Section 2(b) of the International Religious Freedom

Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(b)) is amended—

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as subparagraphs

(A) through (E);

(2) by striking the matter preceding subparagraph (A),

as redesignated, and inserting the following:

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The following shall be the policy of the

United States:’’; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

‘‘(2) EVOLVING POLICIES AND COORDINATED DIPLOMATIC

RESPONSES.—Because the promotion of international religious

freedom protects human rights, advances democracy abroad,

and advances United States interests in stability, security,

and development globally, the promotion of international religious

freedom requires new and evolving policies and diplomatic

responses that—

‘‘(A) are drawn from the expertise of the national security

agencies, the diplomatic services, and other governmental

agencies and nongovernmental organizations; and

‘‘(B) are coordinated across and carried out by the

entire range of Federal agencies.’’.

(1) a policy or practice by the government of any foreign

country of routinely denying visa applications for religious

workers can be indicative of a poor state of religious freedom

in that country; and

(2) the United States Government should seek to reverse

any such policy by reviewing the entirety of the bilateral relationship

between such country and the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

Section 3 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(22 U.S.C. 6402) is amended—

(1) by redesignating paragraph (13) as paragraph (16);

(2) by redesignating paragraphs (10), (11), and (12) as

paragraphs (12), (13), and (14), respectively;

(3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following:

‘‘(10) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The term

‘institution of higher education’ has the meaning given that

term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20

U.S.C. 1001).

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‘‘(11) NON-STATE ACTOR.—The term ‘non-state actor’ means

a nonsovereign entity that—

‘‘(A) exercises significant political power and territorial

control;

‘‘(B) is outside the control of a sovereign government;

and

‘‘(C) often employs violence in pursuit of its objectives.’’;

(4) by inserting after paragraph (14), as redesignated, the

following:

‘‘(15) SPECIAL WATCH LIST.—The term ‘Special Watch List’

means the Special Watch List described in section

402(b)(1)(A)(iii).’’; and

(5) in paragraph (16), as redesignated—

(A) in subparagraph (A)—

(i) by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as clauses

(v) and (vi), respectively; and

(ii) by inserting after clause (iii) the following:

‘‘(iv) not professing a particular religion, or any

religion;’’; and

(B) in subparagraph (B)—

(i) by inserting ‘‘conscience, non-theistic views, or’’

before ‘‘religious belief or practice’’; and

(ii) by inserting ‘‘forcibly compelling non-believers

or non-theists to recant their beliefs or to convert,’’

after ‘‘forced religious conversion,’’.

TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF STATE ACTIVITIES

SEC. 101. OFFICE ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM; AMBASSADOR

AT LARGE FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 101 of the International Religious

Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6411) is amended—

(1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘, and shall report directly

to the Secretary of State’’ before the period at the end;

(2) in subsection (c)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) by striking ‘‘responsibility’’ and inserting

‘‘responsibilities’’;

(ii) by striking ‘‘shall be to advance’’ and inserting

the following: ‘‘shall be to—

‘‘(A) advance’’;

(iii) in subparagraph (A), as redesignated, by

striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’;

and

(iv) by adding at the end the following:

‘‘(B) integrate United States international religious

freedom policies and strategies into the foreign policy

efforts of the United States.’’;

(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘the principal adviser

to’’ before ‘‘the Secretary of State’’;

(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the

end;

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(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period

at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

(iii) by adding at the end the following:

‘‘(C) contacts with nongovernmental organizations that

have an impact on the state of religious freedom in their

respective societies or regions, or internationally.’’;

(D) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5);

and

(E) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:

‘‘(4) COORDINATION RESPONSIBILITIES.—In order to promote

religious freedom as an interest of United States foreign policy,

the Ambassador at Large—

‘‘(A) shall coordinate international religious freedom

policies across all programs, projects, and activities of the

United States; and

‘‘(B) should participate in any interagency processes

on issues in which the promotion of international religious

freedom policy can advance United States national security

interests, including in democracy promotion, stability, security,

and development globally.’’; and

(3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘staff for the Office’’ and

all that follows and inserting ‘‘appropriate staff for the Office,

including full-time equivalent positions and other temporary

staff positions needed to compile, edit, and manage the Annual

Report under the direct supervision of the Ambassador at

Large, and for the conduct of investigations by the Office and

for necessary travel to carry out this Act. The Secretary of

State should provide the Ambassador at Large with sufficient

funding to carry out the duties described in this section,

including, as necessary, representation funds. On the date on

which the President’s annual budget request is submitted to

Congress, the Secretary shall submit an annual report to the

appropriate congressional committees that includes a report

on staffing levels for the International Religious Freedom

Office.’’.

(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that

maintaining an adequate staffing level at the Office, such as was

in place during fiscal year 2016, is necessary for the Office to

carry out its important work.

SEC. 102. ANNUAL REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 102(b)(1) of the International Religious

Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)) is amended—

(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking

‘‘September 1’’ and inserting ‘‘May 1’’;

(2) in subparagraph (A)—

(A) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting

‘‘as well as the routine denial of visa applications for religious

workers;’’;

(B) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause (vii); and

‘‘(iv) particularly severe violations of religious

freedom in that country if such country does not have

a functioning government or the government of such

country does not control its territory;

‘‘(v) the identification of prisoners, to the extent

possible, in that country pursuant to section 108(d);

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‘‘(vi) any action taken by the government of that

country to censor religious content, communications,

or worship activities online, including descriptions of

the targeted religious group, the content, communication,

or activities censored, and the means used; and’’;

(3) in subparagraph (B), in the matter preceding clause

(i)—

(A) by inserting ‘‘persecution of lawyers, politicians,

or other human rights advocates seeking to defend the

rights of members of religious groups or highlight religious

freedom violations, prohibitions on ritual animal slaughter

or male infant circumcision,’’ after ‘‘entire religions,’’; and

(B) by inserting ‘‘policies that ban or restrict the public

manifestation of religious belief and the peaceful involvement

of religious groups or their members in the political

life of each such foreign country,’’ after ‘‘such groups,’’;

(4) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘A description of

United States actions and’’ and inserting ‘‘A detailed description

of United States actions, diplomatic and political coordination

efforts, and other’’; and

(5) in subparagraph (F)(i)—

(A) by striking ‘‘section 402(b)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘section

402(b)(1)(A)(ii)’’; and

(B) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Any country

in which a non-state actor designated as an entity of particular

concern for religious freedom under section 301

of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act

is located shall be included in this section of the report.’’.

(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) the original intent of the International Religious

Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) was to require

annual reports from both the Department of State and the

Commission on International Religious Freedom to be delivered

each year, during the same calendar year, and with at least

5 months separating these reports, in order to provide updated

information for policymakers, Members of Congress, and nongovernmental

organizations; and

(2) given that the annual Country Reports on Human

Rights Practices no longer contain updated information on religious

freedom conditions globally, it is important that the

Department of State coordinate with the Commission to fulfill

the original intent of the International Religious Freedom Act

of 1998.

SEC. 103. TRAINING FOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS.

(a) AMENDMENTS TO FOREIGN SERVICE ACT OF 1980.—Section

708 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028) is

amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) as

subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), respectively;

(B) by striking ‘‘(a) The Secretary of State’’ and

inserting the following:

‘‘(a) HUMAN RIGHTS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING

TRAINING.—

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State’’; and

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‘‘(2) RELIGIOUS FREEDOM TRAINING.—

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the training required

under paragraph (1)(B), the Director of the George P.

Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center shall, not

later than the one year after the date of the enactment

of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act,

conduct training on religious freedom for all Foreign Service

officers, including all entry level officers, all officers prior

to departure for posting outside the United States, and

all outgoing deputy chiefs of mission and ambassadors.

Such training shall be included in—

‘‘(i) the A–100 course attended by all Foreign

Service officers;

‘‘(ii) the courses required of every Foreign Service

officer prior to a posting outside the United States,

with segments tailored to the particular religious

demography, religious freedom conditions, and United

States strategies for advancing religious freedom, in

each receiving country; and

‘‘(iii) the courses required of all outgoing deputy

chiefs of mission and ambassadors.

‘‘(B) DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM.—In carrying out

the training required under paragraph (1)(B), the Ambassador

at Large for International Religious Freedom, in

coordination with the Director of the George P. Shultz

National Foreign Affairs Training Center and other Federal

officials, as appropriate, and in consultation with the

United States Commission on International Religious

Freedom established under section 201(a) of the International

Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6431(a)),

shall make recommendations to the Secretary of State

regarding a curriculum for the training of United States

Foreign Service officers under paragraph (1)(B) on the scope

and strategic value of international religious freedom, how

violations of international religious freedom harm fundamental

United States interests, how the advancement of

international religious freedom can advance such interests,

how United States international religious freedom policy

should be carried out in practice by United States diplomats

and other Foreign Service officers, and the relevance and

relationship of international religious freedom to United

States defense, diplomacy, development, and public affairs

efforts. The Secretary of State should ensure the availability

of sufficient resources to develop and implement

such curriculum.

‘‘(C) INFORMATION SHARING.—The curriculum and

training materials developed under this paragraph shall

be shared with the United States Armed Forces and other

Federal departments and agencies with personnel who are

stationed overseas, as appropriate, to provide training on—

‘‘(i) United States religious freedom policies;

‘‘(ii) religious traditions;

‘‘(iii) religious engagement strategies;

‘‘(iv) religious and cultural issues; and

‘‘(v) efforts to counter violent religious extremism.’’;

(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘The Secretary of State’’

and inserting ‘‘REFUGEES.—The Secretary of State’’; and

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(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘The Secretary of State’’

and inserting ‘‘CHILD SOLDIERS.—The Secretary of State’’.

(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the

enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, with the assistance

of the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom,

and the Director of the Foreign Service Institute, located at the

George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, shall

submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House

of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the

Senate that contains a plan for undertaking training for Foreign

Service officers under section 708 of the Foreign Services Act of

1980, as amended by subsection (a).

SEC. 104. PRISONER LISTS AND ISSUE BRIEFS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS.

Section 108 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(22 U.S.C. 6417) is amended—

(1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘faith,’’ and inserting

‘‘activities, religious freedom advocacy, or efforts to protect and

advance the universally recognized right to the freedom of

religion,’’;

(2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘, as appropriate, provide’’

and insert ‘‘make available’’; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

‘‘(d) VICTIMS LIST MAINTAINED BY THE UNITED STATES COMMISSION

ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.—

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall make publicly

available, to the extent practicable, online and in official

publications, lists of persons it determines are imprisoned or

detained, have disappeared, been placed under house arrest,

been tortured, or subjected to forced renunciations of faith

for their religious activity or religious freedom advocacy by

the government of a foreign country that the Commission recommends

for designation as a country of particular concern

for religious freedom under section 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) or by a nonstate

actor that the Commission recommends for designation

as an entity of particular concern for religious freedom under

section 301 of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious

Freedom Act and include as much publicly available information

as practicable on the conditions and circumstances of such

persons.

‘‘(2) DISCRETION.—In compiling lists under paragraph (1),

the Commission shall exercise all appropriate discretion,

including consideration of the safety and security of, and benefit

to, the persons who may be included on the lists and the

families of such persons.’’.

TITLE II—NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

SEC. 201. SPECIAL ADVISER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

The position described in section 101(k) of the National Security

Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021(k)) should assist the Ambassador at

Large for International Religious Freedom to coordinate international

religious freedom policies and strategies throughout the

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executive branch and within any interagency policy committee of

which the Ambassador at Large is a member.

TITLE III—PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

SEC. 301. NON-STATE ACTOR DESIGNATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The President, concurrent with the annual

foreign country review required under section 402(b)(1)(A) of the

International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C.

6442(b)(1)(A)), shall—

(1) review and identify any non-state actors operating in

any such reviewed country or surrounding region that have

engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom;

and

(2) designate, in a manner consistent with such Act, each

such non-state actor as an entity of particular concern for

religious freedom.

(b) REPORT.—Whenever the President designates a non-state

actor under subsection (a) as an entity of particular concern for

religious freedom, the President, as soon as practicable after the

designation is made, shall submit a report to the appropriate

congressional committees that describes the reasons for such designation.

practicable, to address severe violations of religious freedom of

non-state actors that are designated under subsection (a)(2).

(d) DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary

of State should include information detailing the reasons the President

designated a non-state actor as an entity of particular concern

for religious freedom under subsection (a) in the Annual Report

required under section 102(b)(1) of the International Religious

Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)).

(e) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) the Secretary of State should work with Congress and

the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom—

(A) to create new political, financial, and diplomatic

tools to address severe violations of religious freedom by

non-state actors; and

(B) to update the actions the President can take under

section 405 of the International Religious Freedom Act

of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6445);

(2) governments must ultimately be held accountable for

the abuses that occur in their territories; and

(3) any actions the President takes after designating a

non-state actor as an entity of particular concern should also

involve high-level diplomacy with the government of the country

in which the non-state actor is operating.

(f) DETERMINATIONS OF RESPONSIBLE PARTIES.—In order to

appropriately target Presidential actions under the International

Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.), the President,

with respect to each non-state actor designated as an entity

of particular concern for religious freedom under subsection (a),

shall seek to determine, to the extent practicable, the specific officials

or members that are responsible for the particularly severe

violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by such

non-state actor.

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(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘appropriate

congressional committees’’, ‘‘non-state actor’’, and ‘‘particularly

severe violations of religious freedom’’ have the meanings given

such terms in section 3 of the International Religious Freedom

Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6402), as amended by section 3 of this

Act.

SEC. 302. PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO PARTICULARLY

SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

Section 402 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(22 U.S.C. 6442) is amended—

(1) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows:

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the

date on which each Annual Report is submitted under

section 102(b), the President shall—

‘‘(i) review the status of religious freedom in each

foreign country to determine whether the government

of that country has engaged in or tolerated particularly

severe violations of religious freedom in each such

country during the preceding 12 months or longer;

‘‘(ii) designate each country the government of

which has engaged in or tolerated violations described

in clause (i) as a country of particular concern for

religious freedom; and

‘‘(iii) designate each country that engaged in or

tolerated severe violations of religious freedom during

the previous year, but does not meet, in the opinion

of the President at the time of publication of the

Annual Report, all of the criteria described in section

3(15) for designation under clause (ii) as being placed

on a ‘Special Watch List’.’’; and

(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘prior to September

1 of the respective year’’ and inserting ‘‘before

the date on which each Annual Report is submitted

under section 102(b)’’;

(B) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:

‘‘(3) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Whenever the President designates

a country as a country of particular concern for religious

freedom under paragraph (1)(A)(ii), the President, not later

than 90 days after such designation, shall submit to the

appropriate congressional committees—

‘‘(i) the designation of the country, signed by the

President;

‘‘(ii) the identification, if any, of responsible parties

determined under paragraph (2); and

‘‘(iii) a description of the actions taken under subsection

(c), the purposes of the actions taken, and the

effectiveness of the actions taken.

‘‘(B) REMOVAL OF DESIGNATION.—A country that is designated

as a country of particular concern for religious

freedom under paragraph (1)(A)(ii) shall retain such designation

until the President determines and reports to the

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appropriate congressional committees that the country

should no longer be so designated.’’; and

‘‘(4) EFFECT ON DESIGNATION AS COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR

CONCERN.—The presence or absence of a country from the Special

Watch List in any given year shall not preclude the designation

of such country as a country of particular concern for

religious freedom under paragraph (1)(A)(ii) in any such year.’’;

and

(2) in subsection (c)(5), by striking ‘‘the President must

designate the specific sanction or sanctions which he determines

satisfy the requirements of this subsection.’’ and inserting ‘‘the

President shall designate the specific sanction or sanctions

that the President determines satisfy the requirements under

this subsection and include a description of the impact of such

sanction or sanctions on each country.’’.

SEC. 303. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

Section 404(a)(4)(A) of the International Religious Freedom Act

of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6444(a)(4)(A)) is amended—

(1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end;

(2) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the end and

inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

‘‘(iv) the impact on the advancement of United

States interests in democracy, human rights, and security,

and a description of policy tools being applied

in the country, including programs that target democratic

stability, economic growth, and counterterrorism.’’.

SEC. 304. PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER.

Section 407 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(22 U.S.C. 6447) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection

(c)’’;

(B) by inserting ‘‘, for a single, 180-day period,’’ after

‘‘may waive’’;

(D) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs

(1) and (2), respectively;

(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);

(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:

‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY.—Subject to subsection (c), the

President may waive, for any additional specified period of time

after the 180-day period described in subsection (a), the application

of any of the actions described in paragraphs (9) through (15)

of section 405(a) (or a commensurate substitute action) with respect

to a country, if the President determines and reports to the appropriate

congressional committees that—

‘‘(1) the respective foreign government has ceased the violations

giving rise to the Presidential action; or

‘‘(2) the important national interest of the United States

requires the exercise of such waiver authority.’’;

(4) in subsection (c), as redesignated, by inserting ‘‘or (b)’’

after ‘‘subsection (a)’’; and

(5) by adding at the end the following:

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‘‘(d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that—

‘‘(1) ongoing and persistent waivers of the application of

any of the actions described in paragraphs (9) through (15)

of section 405(a) (or commensurate substitute action) with

respect to a country do not fulfill the purposes of this Act;

and

‘‘(2) because the promotion of religious freedom is an important

interest of United States foreign policy, the President,

the Secretary of State, and other executive branch officials,

in consultation with Congress, should seek to find ways to

address existing violations, on a case-by-case basis, through

the actions described in section 405 or other commensurate

substitute action.’’.

SEC. 305. PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER.

Section 408(a)(1) of the International Religious Freedom Act

of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6448(a)(1)) is amended by adding at the end

the following: ‘‘Any designation of a non-state actor as an entity

of particular concern for religious freedom under section 301 of

the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act and, if

applicable and to the extent practicable, the identities of individuals

determined to be responsible for violations described in subsection

(f) of such section.’’.

TITLE IV—PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

SEC. 401. ASSISTANCE FOR PROMOTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

(a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—It is the sense of Congress

that for each fiscal year that begins on or after the date of the

enactment of this Act, the President should request sufficient appropriations

from Congress to support—

(1) the vigorous promotion of international religious

freedom and for projects to advance United States interests

in the protection and advancement of international religious

freedom, in particular, through grants to groups that—

(A) are capable of developing legal protections or promoting

cultural and societal understanding of international

norms of religious freedom;

(B) seek to address and mitigate religiously motivated

and sectarian violence and combat violent extremism; or

monitoring of religious freedom violations, including genocide

perpetrated against religious minorities; and

(2) the establishment of an effective Religious Freedom

Defense Fund, to be administered by the Ambassador at Large

for International Religious Freedom, to provide grants for—

(A) victims of religious freedom abuses and their families

to cover legal and other expenses that may arise from

detention, imprisonment, torture, fines, and other restrictions;

and

(B) projects to help create and support training of

a new generation of defenders of religious freedom,

including legal and political advocates, and civil society

projects which seek to create advocacy networks,

strengthen legal representation, train and educate new

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religious freedom defenders, and build the capacity of religious

communities and rights defenders to protect against

religious freedom violations, mitigate societal or sectarian

violence, or minimize legal or other restrictions of the right

to freedom of religion.

(b) PREFERENCE.—It is the sense of Congress that, in providing

grants under subsection (a), the Ambassador at Large for International

Religious Freedom should, as appropriate, give preference

to projects targeting religious freedom violations in countries—

(1) designated as countries of particular concern for religious

freedom under section 402(b)(1) of the International Religious

Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)); or

(2) included on the Special Watch List described in section

402(b)(1)(A)(iii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of

1998, as added by section 302(1)(A)(i) of this Act.

(1) ADMINISTRATION.—Amounts made available under subsection

(a) shall be administered by the Ambassador at Large

for International Religious Freedom.

(2) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing priorities and policies

for providing grants authorized under subsection (a), including

programming and policy, the Ambassador at Large for International

Religious Freedom should consult with other Federal

agencies, including the United States Commission on International

Religious Freedom and, as appropriate, nongovernmental

organizations.

TITLE V—DESIGNATED PERSONS LIST FOR PARTICULARLY SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

SEC. 501. DESIGNATED PERSONS LIST FOR PARTICULARLY SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

Title VI of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(22 U.S.C. 6471 et seq.) is amended—

(1) by redesignating section 605 as section 606; and

(2) by inserting after section 604 the following:

‘‘SEC. 605. DESIGNATED PERSONS LIST FOR PARTICULARLY SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

‘‘(a) LIST.—

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordination

with the Ambassador at Large and in consultation with relevant

government and nongovernment experts, shall establish and

maintain a list of foreign individuals to whom a consular post

has denied a visa on the grounds of particularly severe violations

of religious freedom under section 212(a)(2)(G) of the

Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)), or

who are subject to financial sanctions or other measures for

particularly severe violations of freedom religion.

‘‘(2) REFERENCE.—The list required under paragraph (1)

shall be known as the ‘Designated Persons List for Particularly

Severe Violations of Religious Freedom’.

‘‘(b) REPORT.—

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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall submit a

report to the appropriate congressional committees that contains

the list required under subsection (a), including, with

respect to each foreign individual on the list—

‘‘(A) the name of the individual and a description of

the particularly severe violation of religious freedom committed

by the individual;

‘‘(B) the name of the country or other location in which

such violation took place; and

‘‘(C) a description of the actions taken pursuant to

this Act or any other Act or Executive order in response

to such violation.

‘‘(2) SUBMISSION AND UPDATES.—The Secretary of State

shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees—

‘‘(A) the initial report required under paragraph (1)

not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment

of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act;

and

‘‘(B) updates to the report every 180 days thereafter

and as new information becomes available.

‘‘(3) FORM.—The report required under paragraph (1)

should be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a

classified annex.

‘‘(4) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term ‘appropriate

congressional committees’ means—

‘‘(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

‘‘(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;

‘‘(C) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban

Affairs of the Senate;

‘‘(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House

of Representatives;

‘‘(E) the Committee on Appropriations of the House

of Representatives; and

‘‘(F) the Committee on Financial Services of the House

of Representatives.’’.

TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SEC. 601. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

Title VII of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998

(22 U.S.C. 6481 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the

following:

‘‘SEC. 702. VOLUNTARY CODES OF CONDUCT FOR UNITED STATES

INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

‘‘(a) FINDING.—Congress recognizes the enduring importance

of United States institutions of higher education worldwide—

‘‘(1) for their potential for shaping positive leadership and

new educational models in host countries; and

‘‘(2) for their emphasis on teaching universally recognized

rights of free inquiry and academic freedom.

‘‘(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that

United States institutions of higher education operating campuses

outside the United States or establishing any educational entities

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with foreign governments, particularly with or in countries the

governments of which engage in or tolerate severe violations of

religious freedom as identified in the Annual Report, should seek

to adopt a voluntary code of conduct for operating in such countries

that should—

‘‘(1) uphold the right of freedom of religion of their

employees and students, including the right to manifest that

religion peacefully as protected in international law;

‘‘(2) ensure that the religious views and peaceful practice

of religion in no way affect, or be allowed to affect, the status

of a worker’s or faculty member’s employment or a student’s

enrollment; and

‘‘(3) make every effort in all negotiations, contracts, or

memoranda of understanding engaged in or constructed with

a foreign government to protect academic freedom and the

rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human

Rights.

‘‘SEC. 703. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING NATIONAL SECURITY

STRATEGY TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM THROUGH

UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY.

‘‘It is the sense of Congress that the annual national security

strategy report of the President required under section 108 of

the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3043)—

‘‘(1) should promote international religious freedom as a

foreign policy and national security priority; and

‘‘(2) should articulate that promotion of the right to freedom

of religion is a strategy that—

‘‘(A) protects other, related human rights, and advances

democracy outside the United States; and

‘‘(B) makes clear its importance to United States foreign

policy goals of stability, security, development, and

diplomacy;

‘‘(3) should be a guide for the strategies and activities

of relevant Federal agencies; and

‘‘(4) should inform the Department of Defense quadrennial

defense review under section 118 of title 10, United States

Code, and the Department of State Quadrennial Diplomacy

and Development Review.’’.

SEC. 602. CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.

The table of contents of the International Religious Freedom

Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 note) is amended—

(1) by striking the item relating to section 605 and inserting

the following:

‘‘Sec. 606. Studies on the effect of expedited removal provisions on asylum claims.’’;

(2) by inserting after the item relating to section 604 the

following:

‘‘Sec. 605. Designated Persons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Religious

Freedom.’’;

and

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(3) by adding at the end the following:

‘‘Sec. 702. Voluntary codes of conduct for United States institutions of higher education

operating outside the United States.

‘‘Sec. 703. Sense of Congress regarding national security strategy to promote religious

freedom through United States foreign policy.’’.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate.