1.This Act may be cited as the
United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of
2011
.
2.Establishment and
composition
(a)Section
201(b)(1)(B) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C.
6431(b)(1)(B)) is amended in the matter preceding clause (i) by striking
Nine
and inserting nine
.
(b)Section
201(c) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6431(c))
is amended—
(1)in paragraph (1),
by striking the last sentence and inserting the following: An individual
is not eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms as a member of the
Commission. Each member serving on the Commission on the date of enactment of
the United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2011 may be
reappointed to not more than one additional consecutive term.
;
and
(2)by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
(3)Ineligibility
for reappointmentIf a member of the Commission attends, by being
physically present or by conference call, less than 75 percent of the meetings
of the Commission during one of that member’s terms on the Commission, the
member shall not be eligible for reappointment to the
Commission.
.
(c)Election of
chair and executive committeeSection 201(d) of the International
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6431(d)) is amended—
(1)in the heading, by
inserting and Executive
Committee
after Chair
;
(2)by striking
At
and inserting the following: (1)
Chair.—At
;
(3)in paragraph (1),
as designated by paragraph (2) of this subsection—
(A)by striking
May 30
and inserting May 1
; and
(B)by inserting at
the end the following: No member of the Commission is eligible to be
elected as Chair of the Commission for a second, consecutive term.
;
and
(4)by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
(2)
(A)At the first meeting of the Commission after May 1 of
each calendar year, a majority of the members of the Commission present and
voting shall elect the Executive Committee of the Commission.
(B)The
Executive Committee shall be composed of—
(i)the Chair of the
Commission; and
(ii)two other members
of the Commission appointed under subsection (b)(1)(B), who shall serve as
Vice-Chairs of the Commission, and at least one of whom has been appointed
under subsection (b)(1)(B) by an official whose political party is not the same
political party as the official who appointed the member of the Commission who
has been elected the Chair of the
Commission.
.
(d)A
member of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom who
is serving on the Commission on the date of enactment of this Act shall
continue to serve on the Commission until the expiration of the current term of
the member under the terms and conditions for membership on the Commission as
in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act.
3.Application of
antidiscrimination lawsSection 204 of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6432b) is amended by inserting after subsection
(f) the following new subsection:
(g)Application of
antidiscrimination lawsFor purposes of providing remedies and
procedures to address alleged violations of rights and protections that pertain
to employment discrimination, family and medical leave, fair labor standards,
employee polygraph protection, worker adjustment and retraining, veterans’
employment and reemployment, intimidation or reprisal, protections under the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, occupational safety and health,
labor-management relations, and rights and protections that apply to employees
whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief
Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, all employees of the
Commission shall be treated as employees whose pay is disbursed by the
Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of
Representatives and the Commission shall be treated as an employing office of
the Senate or the House of
Representatives.
.
4.Authorization of
appropriationsSection 207(a)
of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6435(a)) is
amended by striking $3,000,000 for the fiscal year 2003
and
inserting $4,291,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 and
2013
.
5.Standards of
conduct and disclosureSection
208 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6435a) is
amended—
(1)in subsection
(c)(1), by striking $100,000
and inserting
$250,000
; and
(2)in subsection (e),
by striking International Relations
and inserting Foreign
Affairs
.
6.Section 209 of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6436) is amended by striking September
30, 2011
and inserting September 30, 2013
.
7.Report on
effectiveness of programs to promote religious freedom
(a)Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of this Act
and the amendments made by this Act.
(b)The
Comptroller General shall consult with the appropriate congressional committees
and nongovernmental organizations for purposes of preparing the report.
(c)The report shall include the following:
(1)A
review of the effectiveness of all United States Government programs to promote
international religious freedom, including their goals and objectives.
(2)An assessment of
the roles and functions of the Office on International Religious Freedom
established in section 101(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of
1998 (22 U.S.C. 6411(a)) and the relationship of the Office to other offices in
the Department of State.
(3)A
review of the role of the Ambassador at Large for International Religious
Freedom appointed under section 101(b) of the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6411(b)) and the placement of such position within the
Department of State.
(4)A
review and assessment of the goals and objectives of 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)).
(5)A
comparative analysis of the structure of the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom as an independent non-partisan entity in
relation to other United States advisory commissions, whether or not such
commissions are under the direct authority of Congress.
(6)A
review of the relationship between the Ambassador at Large for International
Religious Freedom and the United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom, and possible reforms that would improve the ability of both to reach
their goals and objectives.
(d)In
this section, the term appropriate congressional committees has
the meaning given the term in section 3 of the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6402).