sense of Congress that U.S. officials and rep-
resentatives should draw international attention 
to Iran’s violations of human rights and free-
dom of religion. 
‘‘(D) House Resolution 1370 of the One 
Hundred Tenth Congress, calling on the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China to 
immediately end abuses of the human rights of 
its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and 
Uyghur people, and to end its support for the 
Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure 
that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take 
place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic 
traditions of freedom and openness. 
‘‘(E) House Resolution 944 of the One 
Hundred Eleventh Congress, expressing the 
sense of the House of Representatives on the 
protection of members of vulnerable religious 
and ethnic minority communities in Iraq. 
‘‘(F) House Resolution 134 of the One 
Hundred Twelfth Congress, condemning the 
Government of Iran for its state-sponsored per-
secution of its Baha’i minority and its contin-
ued violation of the International Covenants on 
Human Rights. 
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‘‘(G) House Resolution 306 of the One 
Hundred Twelfth Congress, urging the Republic 
of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage 
and to return confiscated church properties. 
‘‘(H) House Resolution 484 of the One 
Hundred Twelfth Congress, calling on the Gov-
ernment of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to 
respect basic human rights and cease abusing 
vague national security provisions such as arti-
cles 79 and 88 of the Vietnamese penal code 
which are often the pretext to arrest and detain 
citizens who peacefully advocate for religious 
and political freedom. 
‘‘(I) House Resolution 556 of the One 
Hundred and Twelfth Congress, condemning 
the Government of Iran for its continued perse-
cution, imprisonment, and sentencing of Youcef 
Nadarkhani on the charge of apostasy. 
‘‘(J) H.R. 515 of the One Hundred 
Twelfth Congress, which became Public Law 
112–81, to reauthorize the Belarus Democracy 
Act of 2004, which authorizes the denial of 
United States entry to members of the security 
or law enforcement services who have partici-
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pated in the persecution of religious groups or 
human rights defenders. 
‘‘(K) House Resolution 418 of the One 
Hundred and Thirteenth Congress, urging the 
Government of Burma to end the persecution of 
the Rohingya people and respect internationally 
recognized human rights for all ethnic and reli-
gious minority groups. 
‘‘(L) House Resolution 599 of the One 
Hundred Thirteenth Congress, urging the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China to 
respect the freedom of assembly, expression, 
and religion and all fundamental human rights 
and the rule of law for all its citizens and to 
stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tianan-
men Square demonstrations and their violent 
suppression. 
‘‘(M) House Resolution 683 of the One 
Hundred Thirteenth Congress, expressing the 
sense of the House of Representatives on the 
current situation in Iraq and the urgent need to 
protect religious minorities from the persecution 
from the Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist 
group the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant 
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(ISIL) as it expands its control over areas in 
northwestern Iraq. 
‘‘(N) House Resolution 707 of the One 
Hundred Thirteenth Congress, condemning all 
forms of anti-Semitism and rejecting attempts 
to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks 
as an acceptable expression of disapproval or 
frustration over political events in the Middle 
East or elsewhere. 
‘‘(O) H.R. 301 of the One Hundred Thir-
teenth Congress, which became Public 113–161, 
to provide for the establishment of the Special 
Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Reli-
gious Minorities in the Near East and South 
Central Asia. 
‘‘(P) House Resolution 754 of the One 
Hundred Thirteenth Congress, condemning the 
Government of Iran for its gross human rights 
violations.’’. 
(b) POLICY.—Section 2(b) of the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(b)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 
(5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively; 
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(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) To ensure that religious freedom is a cen-
tral component of United States foreign policy and 
receives the appropriate prioritization across govern-
ment agencies, including in bilateral diplomacy, mul-
tilateral diplomacy, public diplomacy, and pro-
grammatic activities of the United States govern-
ment.’’; 
(3) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by 
inserting ‘‘and non-state actors’’ after ‘‘persecuting 
regimes’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(7) To work in coalition with international 
partners in support of religious freedom in those 
countries whose governments violate religious free-
dom or do not take action against those who violate 
religious freedom or in those cases in which non- 
state actors perpetrate violations of religious free-
dom. 
‘‘(8) To work with foreign governments and in 
international fora to support rule of law, good gov-
ernance, and a vigorous civil society and advocate in 
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support of prisoners of conscience abroad whose de-
tentions violate their freedom of religion or belief.’’. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 3 of the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6402) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (13)(A)— 
(A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 
end; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(vi) having no religious beliefs; or’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(14) NON-STATE ACTOR.—The term ‘non-state 
actor’ means any entity outside of government, in-
cluding an extremist group or terrorist organiza-
tion.’’. 
TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF 
STATE ACTIVITIES 
SEC. 101. OFFICE ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREE-
DOM; AMBASSADOR AT LARGE FOR INTER-
NATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.—Section 101(b) of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
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such actions and policies on the status of reli-
gious freedom in the country’’. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM; CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS AND BRIEFINGS 
REQUIRED.—Section 102(b) of the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS
AND
BRIEF-
INGS REQUIRED.—The Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate shall, not 
later than 30 days after the receipt by Congress of 
the report submitted under paragraph (1), hold 
hearings on the report, including any recommenda-
tions contained therein, and not later than 180 days 
after the date of completion of such hearings, the 
Ambassador at Large shall meet with such Commit-
tees to brief such Committees on the report and on 
progress to date with respect to implementation of 
such recommendations.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section take effect on the date of the enactment of 
this Act and apply with respect to each Annual Report 
on International Religious Freedom that is required to be 
submitted to Congress under section 102 of the Inter-
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national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412) 
(as so amended) on or after such date of enactment. 
SEC. 103. TRAINING FOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 708 of 
the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘members of the United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom,’’ after 
‘‘International Religious Freedom Act of 1998,’’. 
(b) OTHER REQUIRED TRAINING.—Section 708 of 
the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) The Secretary of State, with the assistance of 
other relevant officials as specified in subsection (a), shall 
ensure that the standard training described in such sub-
section shall, at a minimum, be a required segment of each 
of the following: 
‘‘(1) The A–100 course attended by all officers 
of the Service. 
‘‘(2) The courses required of all officers of the 
Service prior to a posting abroad, tailored to the re-
ligious demography, status of religious freedom, and 
United States strategies for advancing religious free-
dom in the country of posting. 
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‘‘(3) The courses required of all deputy chiefs 
of mission and all chiefs of mission.’’. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the Ambassador at Large for Inter-
national Religious Freedom and the Director of the Na-
tional Foreign Affairs Training Center, shall submit to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate a comprehensive plan for administering training of 
Foreign Service officers required under section 708 of the 
Foreign Service Act (22 U.S.C. 4028), as amended by this 
section. 
SEC. 104. PROGRAMS AND ALLOCATIONS OF FUNDS BY 
UNITED STATES MISSIONS ABROAD. 
Section 106 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6415) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘sense of the Congress’’ and inserting ‘‘pol-
icy of the United States’’; and 
(2) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking 
‘‘should’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘shall’’. 
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SEC. 105. PRISONER LISTS AND ISSUE BRIEFS ON RELI-
GIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 108(b) of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6417(b)) is amended by inserting ‘‘the United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom,’’ after 
‘‘United States chiefs of mission abroad,’’. 
(b) AVAILABILITY OF LISTS.—Section 108(c) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6417(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘In addition, the Secretary of State shall transmit the lists 
of persons imprisoned, detained, or placed under house ar-
rest prepared under subsection (b) not later than 180 days 
after the enactment of the Shahbaz Bhatti International 
Religious Freedom Act of 2015, and every 180 days there-
after, to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Com-
mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, 
the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee 
on Appropriations of the Senate, the Tom Lantos Human 
Rights Commission, and the Senate Human Rights Cau-
cus.’’. 
SEC. 106. REPORT ON FOREIGN ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND RELIGIOUS EN-
GAGEMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi-
nation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of 
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Homeland Security, and the Secretary of the Treasury, 
shall submit to Congress a report on the best uses of for-
eign assistance to promote the goals of religious freedom 
and religious engagement, while also making a distinction 
between these two goals. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 
(a) shall address how assistance and other United States 
government actions can strengthen the protection of reli-
gious minorities and dissenters, strengthen democratic in-
stitutions, and foster a vibrant civil society, and create 
civic space for religious debate and discussion. 
(c) DEADLINE.—The report required by subsection 
(a) shall be submitted to Congress not later than 180 days 
after the date on which the first Annual Report on Inter-
national Religious Freedom required under section 102(b) 
of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
U.S.C. 6412(b)) is submitted to Congress after the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) HEARINGS AND BRIEFINGS.—The information 
contained in the report required by subsection (a) report 
shall be included in the congressional hearings and brief-
ings required in paragraph (3) of section 102(b) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6412(b)) (as added by section 102(b) of this Act). 
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SEC. 107. REPORTS ON COUNTRIES NOT DESIGNATED AS 
COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date on which the President designates countries as a 
country of particular concern for religious freedom under 
section 402 of the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442), the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall submit to Congress a report on the 
lack of designation by the President of any other countries 
recommended for such designation by the United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom. 
(b) REPORT RELATING TO PAKISTAN.—In addition 
to the report required by subsection (a), the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
report that focuses specifically on the lack of designation 
by the President of Pakistan as a country of particular 
concern for religious freedom under section 402 of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6442) despite the repeated recommendation for such des-
ignation by the United States Commission on Inter-
national Religious Freedom. 
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TITLE II—UNITED STATES COM-
MISSION ON INTERNATIONAL 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
SEC. 201. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION. 
Section 205 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6433) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS
AND BRIEFINGS 
REQUIRED.—The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate shall, not later than 30 days after 
the receipt by Congress of the report submitted under sub-
section (a), hold hearings on the report, including any rec-
ommendations contained therein, and not later than 180 
days after the date of completion of such hearings, the 
Commission shall meet with such Committees on the re-
port and on progress with respect to implementation of 
such recommendations to date.’’. 
TITLE III—NATIONAL SECURITY 
COUNCIL 
SEC. 301. SPECIAL ADVISER ON INTERNATIONAL RELI-
GIOUS FREEDOM. 
Section 101(k) of the National Security Act of 1947 
(50 U.S.C. 3021(k)) is amended in the first sentence by 
inserting ‘‘senior’’ before ‘‘director’’. 
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TITLE IV—PRESIDENTIAL 
ACTIONS 
SEC. 401. PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO VIOLA-
TIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
(a) RESPONSE TO VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREE-
DOM.—Section 401(a)(1) of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6441(a)(1)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)(i), by adding at the 
end before the semicolon the following: ‘‘or carried 
out by non-state actors in that country’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting before ‘‘, 
the President’’ the following: ‘‘and for each foreign 
country in which non-state actors carry out viola-
tions of religious freedom’’. 
(b) PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS.—Section 401(b)(2) of 
the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
U.S.C. 6441(b)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘September 1 of each year’’ and 
inserting ‘‘30 days after the date on which each re-
port is submitted under section 102(b)’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘action’’ and inserting ‘‘1 or 
more of the actions’’; 
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(3) by inserting ‘‘or in which non-state actors 
in that country carried out violations of religious 
freedom’’ before ‘‘at any time’’; 
(4) by striking ‘‘September 1 of the preceding 
year’’ and inserting ‘‘the previous such report was 
submitted’’; and 
(5) by striking ‘‘thereto)’’ and all that follows 
and inserting ‘‘thereto) the action may only be taken 
after the President certifies to Congress that the re-
quirements of sections 403 and 404 have been satis-
fied.’’. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—Section 401(c)(1)(B) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6441(c)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘or the non-state 
actors in that country,’’ after ‘‘special officials thereof,’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section take effect on the date of the enactment of 
this Act and apply with respect to each Annual Report 
on International Religious Freedom that is required to be 
submitted to Congress under section 102 of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412) 
(as so amended) on or after such date of enactment. 
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SEC. 402. PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO PAR-
TICULARLY SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELI-
GIOUS FREEDOM. 
(a) RESPONSE TO PARTICULARLY SEVERE VIOLA-
TIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.—Section 402(a) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6442(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by adding at the end 
before the semicolon the following: ‘‘or carried out 
by non-state actors’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, or a non- 
state actor has carried out,’’ after ‘‘engaged in or 
tolerated’’. 
(b) DESIGNATION OF COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR 
CONCERN FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.—Section 402(b) of 
the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
U.S.C. 6442(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘September 1 of each 
year’’ and inserting ‘‘30 days after the 
date on which each report is submitted 
under section 102(b)’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘whether’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘whether, during the preceding 12 
months,’’; 
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(iii) by inserting ‘‘, or in which a non- 
state actor has carried out,’’ after ‘‘en-
gaged in or tolerated’’ each place it ap-
pears; and 
(iv) by striking ‘‘during the preceding 
12 months or since the date of the last re-
view of that country under this subpara-
graph, whichever period is longer’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘or non-state actor’’ 
after ‘‘foreign country’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and may take place 
any time prior to September 1 of the re-
spective year’’ and inserting ‘‘and before 
the date on which the report is submitted 
under section 102(b)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, or the 
non-state actor specifically responsible for the par-
ticularly severe violations of religious freedom,’’ after 
‘‘by that government’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A), by striking ‘‘as soon as practicable’’ and 
inserting ‘‘not later than 30 days’’; 
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(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(C) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) the actions taken, the purposes of the 
actions taken, and evaluation of any previous 
actions taken pursuant to a designation by the 
President of a country as a country of par-
ticular concern for religious freedom under this 
section.’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) TERMINATION.—A country that has been 
designated a country of particular concern for reli-
gious freedom under this section retains such des-
ignation until the President determines such des-
ignation should be terminated and submits to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report that 
includes the reasons for such termination.’’. 
(c) PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS WITH RESPECT
TO 
COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM.—Section 402(c)(5) of the International Reli-
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gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(c)(5)) is 
amended— 
(1) in the second sentence— 
(A) by striking ‘‘must’’ and inserting 
‘‘shall’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘he determines’’ and in-
serting ‘‘the President determines’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end before the period 
the following: ‘‘and include a description of the 
impact of the designation of such sanction or 
sanctions’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sen-
tence: ‘‘The President shall submit to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate a report that explains why the decision was 
made to designate the specific sanction or sanctions 
which the President determines satisfy the require-
ments of this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 403. CONSULTATIONS. 
Section 403(a) of the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6443(a)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘As soon as practicable’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later than 
30 days’’. 
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SEC. 404. DESCRIPTION OF PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 405(a) of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6445(a)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (9) through 
(15) as paragraphs (10) through (16), respectively; 
and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(9) The raising of concerns and initiation of 
actions through multilateral and regional bodies.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) 
is amended in sections 3(3), 401(c)(2), 402(c)(1)(A), 
403(a), 404(a), 405(b), and 407(a) by striking ‘‘para-
graphs (9) through (15)’’ each place it appears and insert-
ing ‘‘paragraphs (10) through (16)’’. 
SEC. 405. PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER. 
Section 407(a) of the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6447(a)), as amended by sec-
tion 404(b), is further amended by inserting ‘‘for a period 
not to exceed 180 days’’ after ‘‘may waive’’. 
SEC. 406. TERMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 409 of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6449) is 
amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 409. TERMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS. 
‘‘Any Presidential action taken under this Act with 
respect to a foreign country shall remain in effect unless 
expressly terminated by Presidential actions based upon 
the determination by the President and certification to 
Congress that the foreign government has ceased or taken 
substantial and verifiable steps to cease the particularly 
severe violations of religious freedom.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section takes effect on the date of the enactment of 
this Act and applies with respect to any Presidential ac-
tion taken under the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 (as so amended) on or after such date of enact-
ment. 
TITLE V—PROMOTION OF 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
SEC. 501. ASSISTANCE FOR PROMOTING RELIGIOUS FREE-
DOM. 
Section 501 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(c) ECONOMIC SUPPORT FUND ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
assistance authorized to be provided under chapter 
4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
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(22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.; relating to the Economic 
Support Fund) should include assistance— 
‘‘(A) to entities and individuals in support 
of religious freedom, the rule of law, good gov-
ernance, and the creation of a strong and vi-
brant civil society; and 
‘‘(B) to provide enhanced security for 
human rights and religious freedom defenders. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assistance authorized 
to be provided under the provisions of law spec-
ified in subparagraph (B) may not be provided 
to a foreign government that is designated or 
re-designated as a country of particular concern 
for religious freedom under section 402 until 
the Secretary of State certifies to the appro-
priate congressional committees that the gov-
ernment of such country has agreed to use such 
funds to support improvements in respecting 
international standards of religious freedom for 
all its residents and to take measures to ad-
dress discrimination and violence against reli-
gious minorities or dissenting members of the 
majority community in such country. 
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‘‘(B) PROVISIONS
OF
LAW.—The provi-
sions of law specified in this subparagraph are 
the following: 
‘‘(i) Chapter 4 of part II of the For-
eign Assistance Act of 1961. 
‘‘(ii) Part II of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961. 
‘‘(iii) The Arms Export Control Act. 
‘‘(3) WAIVER.—The President may waive for a 
period not to exceed 180 days the application of 
paragraph (2) if the President determines and re-
ports to the appropriate congressional committees 
that— 
‘‘(A) the exercise of such waiver authority 
would further the purposes of this Act; or 
‘‘(B) it is important to the national inter-
est of the United States to provide for the exer-
cise of such waiver authority. 
‘‘(d) PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT FREE-
DOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President, acting 
through the Federal departments and other entities 
described in paragraph (3)(B), is authorized to carry 
out programs related to the promotion and protec-
tion of freedom of religion or belief in foreign coun-
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tries. Such programs shall focus on supporting civil 
society, especially in countries designated or re-des-
ignated as countries of particular concern for reli-
gious freedom under section 402, or recommended 
by the United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom for such designation or re-des-
ignation. 
‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—Programs carried out under 
paragraph (1) shall include proposed reforms to a 
country’s education systems to promote respect for 
religious tolerance and freedom. 
‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Presi-
dent $17,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2016 
through 2019 to carry out this subsection, of 
which— 
‘‘(A) $5,000,000 is authorized to be appro-
priated to each of the Office on International 
Religious Freedom within the Department of 
State, the National Endowment for Democracy, 
and the United States Institute for Peace; and 
‘‘(B) $2,000,000 is authorized to be appro-
priated to the United States Commission on 
International Religious Freedom. 
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‘‘(e) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Secretary of State should prioritize the pro-
tection of religious minorities and places where these mi-
norities reside and congregate when developing policy and 
directing programs that are administered by the Depart-
ment of Defense.’’. 
SEC. 502. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING. 
Section 502 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Section 303(a)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303(a)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts authorized 
to be appropriated for democracy programs of the Bureau 
of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the Depart-
ment of State, the United States Agency for International 
Development, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors 
are authorized to be used to support the development and 
implementation of innovative uses of the Internet and 
other electronic methods to support freedom of religion or 
belief abroad.’’. 
Æ 
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