[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.