[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 146 (Tuesday, October 6, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H6808-H6811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
                      REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2015

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(S. 2078) to reauthorize the United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 2078

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 
     2015''.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of the Congress that the United States 
     Commission on International Religious Freedom--
       (1) was created by Congress to independently assess and to 
     accurately and unflinchingly describe threats to religious 
     freedom around the world; and
       (2) in carrying out its prescribed duties, should use its 
     authorized powers to ensure that efforts by the United States 
     to advance religious freedom abroad are timely, appropriate 
     to the circumstances, prudent, and effective.

     SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY.

       Section 209 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 
     1998 (22 U.S.C. 6436) is amended by striking ``September 30, 
     2015'' and inserting ``September 30, 2019''.

     SEC. 4. STRATEGIC PLAN.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
       (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the United 
     States Commission on International Religious Freedom 
     established under section 201 of the International Religious 
     Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6431).
       (3) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means a member 
     of the Commission.
       (4) Vice chair.--The term ``Vice Chair'' means the Vice 
     Chair of the Commission who was appointed to such position by 
     an elected official from the political party that is 
     different from the political party of the elected official 
     who appointed the Chair of the Commission.
       (b) Strategic Policy and Organizational Review Planning 
     Process.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than 
     biennially thereafter, the Chair and Vice Chair of the 
     Commission, in coordination with the Commissioners, the 
     Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, 
     Commission staff, and others jointly selected by the Chair 
     and Vice Chair, shall carry out a strategic policy and 
     organizational review planning process that includes--
       (1) a review of the duties set forth in section 202 of the 
     International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6432) 
     and the powers set forth in section 203 of such Act (22 
     U.S.C. 6432a);
       (2) the preparation of a written description of prioritized 
     actions that the Commission is required to complete to 
     fulfill the strategic plan required under subsection (d);
       (3) a review of the scope, content, and timing of the 
     Commission's annual report and any required changes; and
       (4) a review of the personnel policies set forth in section 
     204 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
     U.S.C. 6432b) and any required changes to such policies.
       (c) Unanimous Agreement.--
       (1) In general.--To the greatest extent possible, the 
     Chair, Vice Chair, and all of the Commissioners shall ensure 
     that this section is implemented in a manner that results in 
     unanimous agreement among the Commissioners with regard to--
       (A) the strategic policy and organizational review planning 
     process required under subsection (b); and
       (B) the strategic plan required under subsection (d).
       (2) Alternative approval process.--If unanimous agreement 
     under paragraph (1) is not possible, items for inclusion in 
     the strategic plan may, at the joint discretion of the Chair 
     and Vice Chair, be approved by an affirmative vote of--
       (A) a majority of Commissioners appointed by an elected 
     official from the political party of the President; and
       (B) a majority of Commissioners appointed by an elected 
     official from the political party that is not the party of 
     the President.
       (d) Submission of Strategic Plan.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of the enactment of the Act, and not less 
     frequently than biennially thereafter, the Chair and Vice 
     Chair of the Commission shall jointly submit, to the 
     appropriate congressional committees, a written strategic 
     plan that includes--
       (1) a description of prioritized actions for the Commission 
     for a period of time to be specified by the Commissioners;
       (2) a description of any changes the Commission considers 
     necessary with regard to the scope, content, and timing of 
     the Commission's annual report;
       (3) a description of any changes the Commission considers 
     necessary with regard to personnel matters; and
       (4) the Commission's funding requirements for the period 
     covered by the strategic plan.
       (e) Pending Issues.--The strategic plan required under 
     subsection (d) may identify any issues or proposals that have 
     not yet been resolved by the Commission.
       (f) Implementation of Personnel Provisions and Annual 
     Report.--Notwithstanding section 204(a) and 205(a) of the 
     International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
     6432b(a) and 6533(a)), the Commission is authorized to 
     implement provisions related to personnel and the 
     Commission's annual report that are included in the strategic 
     plan submitted pursuant to this section.
       (g) Congressional Oversight.--Upon request, the Commission 
     shall--
       (1) make available for inspection any information and 
     documents requested by the appropriate congressional 
     committees; and
       (2) respond to any requests to provide testimony before the 
     appropriate congressional committees.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 207 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 
     1998 (22 U.S.C. 6435) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
     to the Commission $3,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2016 to 2019 to carry out the provisions of this Act and 
     section 4 of the United States Commission on International 
     Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2015.
       ``(b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated under subsection (a) shall remain available 
     until the earlier of--
       ``(1) the date on which they have been expended; or
       ``(2) the date on which the Commission is terminated under 
     section 209.
       ``(c) Limitation.--In each fiscal year, the Commission 
     shall only be authorized to expend amounts that have been 
     appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) if the Commission--
       ``(1) complies with the requirements set forth in section 4 
     of the United States Commission on International Religious 
     Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2015; and
       ``(2) submits the annual financial report required under 
     section 208(e) to the appropriate congressional 
     committees.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Cicilline) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 days to revise and extend and to include any extraneous material 
in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, tragically, religious persecution around the world 
continues. I thought I would give one example that we heard in our 
committee last week, the Foreign Affairs Committee, from ``Bozi,'' who 
is a young 20-year-old Yazidi woman from Iraq. She told us the story.
  She very bravely recounted her brutal captivity and the abuse she 
faced at the hands of ISIS. As we are talking about religious freedom, 
she explained that, in her village, the 700 men and boys were killed, 
including several of

[[Page H6809]]

her brothers. One small brother survived because he had a bullet in his 
head and they thought he was dead. But, other than that, her family is 
all gone.
  She was bought by an American who had been recruited to ISIS about 4 
years prior, she said. He bought 10 of the girls, sold 9, and kept her 
as a concubine.
  She recounted how he explained to her that, because she was a Yazidi, 
she was an infidel, in his mind, and she was a Pagan, in his mind; and, 
therefore, he had the right to enslave and rape and sell Yazidi women 
and children, and he does this.
  After about a year, she escaped. But she reported that there were 
about 3,000 girls and women in ISIS captivity, Yazidis, who faced the 
same fate that she faced while she was in that captivity.
  These crimes are just the latest outrage against people of faith 
which continues in so many parts of the world, whether it be against 
Yazidis or Christian minorities in the Middle East or the Baha'i in 
Iran or religious communities attempting to worship without official 
supervision by repressive regimes, for example, in Burma or in North 
Korea. Anti-Semitism also is on the rise, including in Europe.
  This legislation, which was passed unanimously by the Senate last 
week, will continue the good work of the United States Commission on 
International Religious Freedom. Congress created this Commission as an 
independent Federal entity back in 1998.
  The reason it was created was because, while the fundamental freedom 
of religion was under siege around the world, it did not receive enough 
attention in U.S. foreign policy circles.
  This Commission is a body of experts who speak out on behalf of 
persecuted believers of any faith and push for accountability, 
accountability beyond what the State Department or the White House may 
view as diplomatically feasible.
  The Commission's independent voice remains critical today, as the 
State Department too often pushes religious freedom to the side. For 
example, the State Department's Ambassador at Large for religious 
freedom sat vacant for 2 years during the start of this administration 
and again for another 10 months before the appointment of the current 
Ambassador, Rabbi David Saperstein.
  And this year, after a 3-year lapse, the Department finally made the 
legally required designation of ``Countries of Particular Concern'' for 
religious freedom, 3 years of the State Department shirking its legal 
responsibility.
  But, as the Commission has found, another eight countries should also 
be placed on that list and were not placed on the list. Those countries 
include Vietnam, whose recent so-called amnesty of more than 18,000 
prisoners included convicted murderers, convicted drug dealers, human 
traffickers.
  But what it did not include was prisoners of religious conscience, 
such as the Venerable Thich Quang Do of the Unified Buddhist Church of 
Vietnam. I have visited him under house arrest. They did not include 
Father Nguyen Van Ly, the Catholic priest who has been repeatedly 
beaten. These were not the people released. No. It was the human 
traffickers and the murderers.
  So this Commission is critical in calling out these abuses.
  This bill extends the authorization of the Commission for 4 more 
years and includes new strategic planning and transparency improvements 
in the act. This should ensure that the Commission's important work 
remains strongly bipartisan and represents the diverse American 
consensus on the importance of our first freedom: religious liberty.
  I want to thank Senators Corker and Cardin and their colleagues who 
worked to craft this bill, which received unanimous support in the 
other body.
  I also want to recognize the important work of the chairman of the 
Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human 
Rights, and International Organizations, the gentleman from New Jersey 
(Mr. Smith), the author of the House side reauthorization bill, who has 
been a legislative leader on religious freedom issues throughout his 
career.
  And, as always, I appreciate the cooperation of the ranking member, 
Mr. Eliot Engel of New York, and the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Cicilline) in bringing this legislation to the floor today.
  So this bill, which has the unanimous support of the Senate and all 
nine current Commissioners, deserves our support also. With its 
passage, it goes to the President's desk. With his signature, it will 
ensure that freedom of religion under continuous threat from extremists 
and authoritarian governments remains front and center.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I rise in strong support of S. 2078.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will reauthorize the U.S. Commission on 
International Religious Freedom, what we call USCIRF, and it deserves 
this body's strong support.
  I want to begin by thanking Senator Corker, Senator Cardin, and 
Senator Durbin for the work that they did in pushing this bill on the 
Senate side. I want to thank our chairman, Chairman Royce, and 
Representative Chris Smith for his strong leadership here in the House 
on matters dealing with religious freedom.
  This bill, which has been endorsed by all nine of the current 
Commissioners, would reauthorize the Commission for 4 years and require 
that the Commission agree on a bipartisan strategic plan to be 
submitted to Congress within 180 days. Moreover, the Commission will 
also be required to reach bipartisan agreement on personnel policies, 
which I hope they will see as an opportunity, as an organization 
dedicated to promoting freedom and tolerance, to include strong 
nondiscrimination protections for religion, gender, gender identity, 
and sexual orientation, as well as the other federally protected 
classes.
  The right to practice religion and worship freely is a bedrock 
principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, of course, 
of our own Constitution. This Commission on International Religious 
Freedom does so much to defend that liberty, whether through invaluable 
research, analysis, and reporting or efforts to guide lawmakers from 
the United States and elsewhere on the importance of this issue. Yet 
every day, religious communities around the world endure violence, 
persecution, and discrimination--and the problem, sadly, is escalating.
  In Nigeria, Christian and Muslim communities live in fear of the 
fanatical terrorist group Boko Haram. In Iran, the regime continues to 
persecute members of the Baha'i faith. In Vietnam, Christians are 
arrested and beaten by police. Pakistan has fallen down on the job of 
prosecuting violence against religious minorities, while at the same 
time convicting religious minorities for blasphemy. And, of course, 
people of all faiths are being massacred by ISIL as it attempts to wipe 
out any beliefs that don't align with its perversion of Islam.
  Mr. Speaker, this sort of intolerance has no place in the 21st 
century. Governments are obligated to respect the religious freedom of 
all citizens. It is the right thing to do, and it is also in their own 
interests. After all, when societies are more open, they become more 
prosperous. When citizens live freely without fear of persecution, they 
contribute more and help drive growth and stability.
  So the United States wants to see religious freedom thrive around the 
world. That is why we established the Commission on International 
Religious Freedom, and that is why we should vote today to support the 
Commission's vital continued work.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 2078.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith). He worked on the original authorization of the 
Religious Freedom Act, and he is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and 
International Organizations.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank the chairman for his leadership and 
for his commitment to human rights, particularly religious freedom, and 
I want to thank Senator Corker for helping to shepherd this legislation 
through the

[[Page H6810]]

Senate when there were some contentious issues.
  Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 
was created as part of the landmark International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998, originally authored by my good friend and former colleague 
Frank Wolf, who provided exemplary service and leadership in this 
House.
  The creation of USCIRF made the promotion and protection of religious 
freedom a priority of U.S. foreign policy; and believe me, before the 
passage of this law, it was not. Since its inception, USCIRF has been a 
valuable, independent, and bipartisan source of information and policy 
recommendations for the Congress, U.S. Government, and the American 
people.
  Mr. Speaker, USCIRF gives voice to persecuted religious groups and 
raises prisoner cases, individual cases, at the highest levels of the 
U.S. Government. USCIRF's annual report--and I encourage Members to 
read it--often provides a fuller view of violations of religious 
freedom than the State Department's International Religious Freedom 
Report. As an independent body, USCIRF has the political freedom to 
report the facts and provide critical insight and recommendations on 
countries like Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Cuba, or China, countries 
where the U.S. Government may be hesitant to draw attention to 
religious rights violations because it is concerned about upsetting 
foreign governments.
  It needs to be noted that in the beginning, the Clinton 
administration actively opposed passage of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998. I know because I chaired the hearings. We heard 
from people like Assistant Secretary John Shattuck, who said it would 
create a hierarchy of human rights, which it did not. It put religious 
freedom in its rightful place. Of course, years later, people from the 
administration pointed out that none of that happened and it was a very 
important addition to our work. I also want to note that a very broad 
coalition supported and continued to support IRFA in general and USCIRF 
in particular. In the end, President Clinton did sign the legislation 
into law.
  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops endorses USCIRF's 
reauthorization, as do over 80 different nongovernmental organizations 
and religious groups, part of the International Religious Freedom 
Roundtable. These groups sent a letter to every Member of Congress and 
said, in pertinent part, ``while there is very little we agree on 
theologically, or politically, we all agree on the importance of 
religious freedom.''

  Mr. Speaker, bipartisan cooperation is critically important at a time 
when religious freedom is under siege through the world. Anti-Semitism, 
pervasive in most of the Middle East, has spread like a cancer to parts 
of Europe. The increase in violence perpetrated against Christians, 
Muslims, and other religious minorities has reached staggering 
proportions, including disturbing reports of torture, rape, 
imprisonment, forced exile, and murder.
  Mr. Speaker, the world faces a deepening crisis of religious freedom 
restrictions and abuses by governments. The Pew Foundation estimates 
that over 75 percent of the world's population lives in countries where 
severe religious freedom abuses are commonplace. Ancient Christian 
communities in Iraq and Syria are on the verge of extinction, and other 
religious minorities in the Middle East face a constant assault from 
ISIS. ISIS, as we all know, has committed and is committing genocide, 
mass atrocities, and war crimes.
  China continues to suppress religious practice broadly and with 
impunity. It has been another punishing year for the Tibetan Buddhists, 
Uighur Muslims, Christians, as well as Falun Gong practitioners who 
face restrictions, imprisonment, and torture.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Burma is a problem; Rohingya Muslims face 
problems. In Pakistan, as we all know, there are problems; in Iran, not 
just with the Baha'i who are persecuted again and have been facing that 
with unrelenting pressure, but also other Christians who live there and 
other Muslims.
  Mr. Speaker, the need for USCIRF is clear, and I hope all Members 
will support this important human rights legislation.
  I thank the Chair, and I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I do not have any more speakers, so I 
yield myself the balance of my time.
  First, again, I want to thank our chairman, Ed Royce, and our ranking 
member Eliot Engel for, once again, the bipartisan way in which the 
work of the Foreign Affairs Committee is conducted, evidenced again 
today with strong bipartisan support for this bill. I also want to 
acknowledge the great leadership of Congressman Smith, who has worked 
in this area for a very long time.
  Mr. Speaker, my home State, Rhode Island, was founded by Roger 
Williams, searching for a place that respects religious freedom. Rhode 
Island is home to the oldest synagogue in America, the Touro Synagogue, 
where President Washington famously wrote to the Hebrew congregation at 
Touro Synagogue to reassure them that this new, young Nation will be a 
place that respects religious freedom of all its citizens. It is this 
Commission that continues to promote that work around the world, to 
ensure that religious freedom is respected everywhere in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Before I close, Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
  Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the chairman for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, religious liberty is the first right in our Bill of 
Rights, and it is in the First Amendment. There are five rights in the 
First Amendment. Religious liberty is the first of those five rights. 
That is not by accident. Our ancestors believed in the right of 
religious liberty.
  In fact, throughout the world today, religious freedom is the most 
important personal right for many, many people of all religious 
faiths--the right to practice one's religion free of persecution 
regardless of what that religion is.
  Mr. Speaker, Saddique Azam was promoted as the headmaster of an 
elementary school in Pakistan a few months ago. Three Muslim teachers 
didn't like the fact that they had a Christian as their boss. So, 
yesterday, about 7:45 in the morning, they stormed his office and 
demanded that he resign because he was a Christian. He refused. They 
beat him up until he was rescued by some other staff members.
  Curricula in schools throughout the world are teaching religious 
intolerance. The Saudi school curriculum openly vilifies other faiths, 
including Jews and Christians. Not too long ago, there was a 14-year-
old boy by the name of Ayman Nabil Labib, a Christian in Egypt, a 
Coptic Christian. He went to school. The teacher of his class, a non-
Christian, saw that he had a cross on his wrist. Coptic Christians I 
understand have a tattoo of a cross. He was told to cover up the cross. 
He did not. In fact, he pulled out a cross from underneath his shirt 
and displayed it as well. The teacher grabbed him around the neck and 
started choking him and asked the other students: What are you going to 
do about this? And they beat him to death--a 14-year-old Coptic 
Christian in Egypt.
  Persecution happens to all faiths throughout the world.
  It is the most important, in my opinion, human right, natural right, 
to practice one's faith, religion, and belief freely without 
persecution by government especially. This legislation helps protect 
that right worldwide. It is an important right here, but, as I said, it 
is a natural right, and it should be protected. I support this 
legislation because it protects the basic right of religious freedom.
  And that is just the way it is.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressmen Chris Smith, David Cicilline, and 
Judge Ted Poe.
  Two weeks ago, we were all here on the floor of the House, and we 
heard

[[Page H6811]]

Pope Francis charged with those listening to his remarks of the 
important responsibility of safeguarding religious freedom. He stated 
at the White House that that freedom remains one of America's most 
precious possessions. Of course, that freedom is not only an American 
possession, and it is not only enjoyed by certain religions. That 
freedom flows from the inherent dignity of every human person and 
should be protected wherever it is threatened.
  The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 
remains a strong, independent, and authoritative voice on behalf of 
religious believers everywhere. This measure will ensure that it 
continues to pursue the Commission's nonpartisan mission of promoting 
around the world the right of religious liberty that we hold so dear as 
a nation. It deserves our unanimous support.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support a commission which 
embodies the highest of our democratic principles: independence, 
bipartisanship, transparency and the defense of our fundamental 
freedoms.
  The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom was 
created from a landmark piece of legislation, the 1998 International 
Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
  How that bill came about is a story in its own right, and a 
demonstration of how a diverse set of our nation's leaders can come 
together to protect a foundational freedom.
  One of the best ways to expose attacks on religious freedom is 
meticulous chronicling of such abuses and then proclaiming them loud 
and clear to a watching world.
  The importance of USCIRF's mission of monitoring, recording and 
publishing attacks on religious belief--or any belief at all--cannot be 
overestimated.
  Their annual report is an invaluable reference for my colleagues and 
me and our staffs.
  Like the TIP report which monitors countries' records on human 
trafficking, the USCIRF annual report exposes lawbreakers and violators 
of human rights--and recommends what actions should be taken.
  And we have seen how across the world religious minorities are under 
attack.
  Christians made up 20 percent of the Middle East population at the 
start of the 20th century.
  Given a sustained attack in recent years on Christian belief and 
practice, that number is now around 5 percent and declining.
  In fact, less than 1 percent of the world's more than 2 billion 
Christians live in the Middle East--the birthplace of the religion.
  Other religions and belief systems have suffered under sustained 
persecution.
  Yazidis in Iraq and Syria have been systematically targeted by ISIS 
for slavery and execution.
  Just this week, news reports have revealed Yazidi women have taken 
their own lives out of despair after repeated rapes and assaults.
  USCIRF has documented ethnic cleansing of Muslims and sectarian 
violence in the Central African Republic, and urged the State 
Department designate it as a Country of Particular Concern.
  In Russia, ``serious violations of freedom of religion or belief 
continue.''
  China has taken further steps to ``consolidate'' its ``authoritarian 
monopoly'' over the lives of its citizens.
  This has led to ``unprecedented violence'' against Uigher Muslims, 
Tibetan Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, and Falun Gong 
practitioners.
  And the list goes on and on.
  An attack on the religious belief of one is an attack on all of us.
  USCIRF is a unique, independent voice calling the world to pay 
attention and act, especially when this freedom can take a backseat in 
foreign affairs.
  The world forgets that the chilling of religious belief is the first 
step toward totalitarian control over all areas of life.
  All other freedoms flow from religious liberty.
  Without the freedom to believe what your conscience tells you, and 
live that belief out without fear of violence or other persecution, all 
other freedoms are meaningless.
  USCIRF recognizes this reality, and acts in defense of all peoples 
everywhere.
  I urge the House and reauthorize this important commission, and 
continue to defend and promote our First Amendment freedoms around the 
world.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 2078.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________