[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 97 (Thursday, July 10, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ACT

  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I have a bill which about 80 Members have 
cosponsored on both sides of the aisle, called the Freedom From 
Religious Persecution Act. It is H.R. 1685. Now that the MFN debate has 
gone, I will now ask Members from both sides to join us.
  This is not a trade bill. This is a bill which would, among other 
things, create a new White House position, the director of Office of 
Religious Persecution Monitoring, who would do a country-by-country 
report every year on the different persecutions.
  Mr. Speaker, there is more persecution of people of faith taking 
place today than any other time in history of our country.
  It is H.R. 1658, and I would ask Members on both sides to cosponsor 
the bill so we can pass it before 100,000 churches of all denominations 
have a prayer service some time in the month of November to pray for 
the persecuted church around the world.

        Wolf-Specter ``Freedom From Religious Persecution Act''


 creates new white house position--director of the office of religious 
                         persecution monitoring

       The Director would issue an annual report assessing whether 
     Category 1 or Category 2 religious persecution exists in a 
     country.
       Sanctions--Sanctions would be automatic upon a positive 
     finding by the Director. They would be waivable by the 
     President, subject to a detailed written explanation to 
     Congress and a 45-day notice of the intent to waive.
     1. Degree of religious persecution
       Category One Activity--Religious persecution is ongoing and 
     widespread and includes killing, rape, imprisonment, 
     abduction, torture, enslavement or forced mass resettlement. 
     Persecution is carried out by the government or with the 
     government's support.
       Category Two Activity--Religious persecution, as defined 
     above, that is not carried out with government support but 
     where the government fails to take serious and sustained 
     efforts to eliminate the persecution.
     2. Imposition of sanctions
       Immediate Sanctions--The bill would ban all exports to 
     foreign government entities that directly carry out acts of 
     religious persecution. There would also be a ban on all 
     goods, products and services that are being used or intended 
     for use directly to facilitate religious persecution. These 
     sanctions would take effect immediately upon identification 
     of the relevant entities and products. Products and entities 
     banned under this legislation are to be defined as narrowly 
     as is practical.
       Sanctions Subject to Findings--Additional sanctions would 
     also take effect after either 90 days (Category One activity) 
     or 1 year (Category Two activity).
       U.S. Assistance--The U.S. would cut off all non-
     humanitarian aid to the persecuting country.
       Multilateral Assistance--U.S. representatives would be 
     instructed to vote against any multilateral development banks 
     loans to the offending country and to take all necessary 
     steps to ensure that such loans are not forthcoming.
       WTO Membership--In deciding whether to support a country's 
     membership in the World Trade Organization, the President 
     would be instructed to consider a significant factor whether 
     a country had engaged in religious persecution.
       Visa Ban--Ban on visas individuals who carry out, order or 
     oversee religious persecution.
       Asylum for Persecuted Religious Minorities--Asylum 
     proceedings would be improved to ensure expedited, priority 
     consideration for victims of religious persecution.
       Full Asylum Hearing--Amends ``credible fear'' standard in 
     asylum proceedings to ensure asylum applicants from 
     persecuted communities in Category 1 and 2 countries receive 
     a full asylum hearing.
       Priority Status--Provides refugees from persecuted 
     communities in Category 1 and 2 countries priority processing 
     status equal to that given to all groups of ``special 
     humanitarian concern'' to the United States.
       Training--Requires asylum officers and refugee claims 
     adjudicators to undergo training on the nature, severity and 
     location of religious persecution.
       Sudan Sanctions--The legislation includes immediate 
     sanctions against Sudan, a country where * * *.

                          ____________________