PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

FRANK R. WOLF INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS 

FREEDOM ACT 


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130 STAT. 1426 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

Public Law 114–281 

114th Congress 

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— 

Frank R. Wolf 

International 

Religious 

Freedom Act. 

22 USC 6401 

note. 

Dec. 16, 2016 

[H.R. 1150] 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1427 

(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 nontheists, 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). 


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130 STAT. 1428 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

‘‘(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; 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1429 

(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); 

Reports. 


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130 STAT. 1430 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

‘‘(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: 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1431 

‘‘(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 

Coordination. 

Consultation. 

Recommendations. 

Deadline. 


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130 STAT. 1432 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

(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 nonstate 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 

Public 

information. 

Web posting. 

Publications. 

Determination. 

Plan. 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1433 

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. 

Designation. 

Review. 

22 USC 6442a. 


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130 STAT. 1434 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

(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 

Determination. 

Reports. 

Deadline. 

Review. 

Determination. 

Time period. 

Deadline. 

Designation. 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1435 

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: 

Time period. 

Determination. 

Reports. 

Designation. 

Determination. 


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130 STAT. 1436 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

‘‘(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 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1437 

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.— 

Coordination. 

Consultation. 

22 USC 6473a. 

22 USC 6474. 


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130 STAT. 1438 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

‘‘(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 

22 USC 6482. 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 130 STAT. 1439 

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 

22 USC 6483. 


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130 STAT. 1440 PUBLIC LAW 114–281—DEC. 16, 2016 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1150: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016): 

May 16, considered and passed House. 

Dec. 9, considered and passed Senate, amended. 

Dec. 13, House concurred in Senate amendment. 

Æ 

(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.’’. 

Approved December 16, 2016. 


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