[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1150 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.1150

                     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--
        (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 non-
        theists, 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.''.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
        (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).
        ``(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'';
            (C) in paragraph (3)--
                (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the 
            end;
                (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
            (C) by inserting after clause (iii) the following:
                ``(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);
                ``(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
            (C) by adding at the end the following:
        ``(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
        (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 non-state 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 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.
    (c) Actions.--The President should take specific actions, when 
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.
    (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 appropriate 
        congressional committees that the country should no longer be 
        so designated.''; and
            (C) by adding at the end the following:
        ``(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'';
            (C) by striking paragraph (1); and
            (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:
    ``(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
            (C) seek to strengthen investigations, reporting, and 
        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 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.
    (c) Administration and Consultations.--
        (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.--
        ``(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 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
        (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.