[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.
____________________