(2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end be-
fore the period the following: ‘‘, and shall report di-
rectly to the Secretary of State’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘responsibility’’ and in-
serting ‘‘responsibilities’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘shall be to advance’’ 
and inserting the following: ‘‘shall be to— 
‘‘(A) advance’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (A), as so added, 
by striking the period at the end and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iv) by adding at the end the following 
new subparagraph: 
‘‘(B) integrate United States international 
religious freedom policies and religious engage-
ment strategies into democracy, civil society, 
conflict prevention and mitigation, and develop-
ment efforts funded by the United States and 
into the counterterrorism policies of Federal 
agencies, including the Department of Defense, 
the Department of Homeland Security, the De-
partment of State, and the Department of the 
Treasury.’’; 
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(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘a prin-
cipal adviser’’ and inserting ‘‘the principal ad-
viser’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) contacts with nongovernmental orga-
nizations 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 new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) 
COORDINATION
RESPONSIBILITIES.—In 
order to promote religious freedom as an interest of 
United States foreign policy, the Ambassador at 
Large shall coordinate religious freedom policies and 
religious engagement strategies across all programs, 
projects, and activities of the United States, includ-
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ing any appropriate programs, projects, and activi-
ties of the Department of Defense, the Department 
of Homeland Security, the Department of State, the 
Department of the Treasury, and the United States 
Agency for International Development.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘staff for the 
Office’’ and all that follows through the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘individuals to fill at least 20 
full-time equivalent staff positions, and other tem-
porary staff positions as needed to compile, edit, and 
manage the Annual Report, including a senior advi-
sor for the Office, under the direct supervision of the 
Ambassador at Large, for the conduct of investiga-
tions by the Office on conditions of religious freedom 
on a worldwide basis, and for any necessary travel 
to carry out the provisions of this Act. The Sec-
retary of State shall also provide to the Ambassador 
at Large representation funds that are sufficient to 
carry out the duties described in this section at lev-
els at least equal to the amount of representation 
funds provided to other Ambassadors at Large in 
the Department of State.’’. 
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SEC. 102. ANNUAL REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM. 
Section 102(b)(1) of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)) is amend-
ed— 
(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’’ at the 
end; 
(B) in clause (iv), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(v) any action taken by a govern-
ment or other entity to censor religious 
content, communications, or worship activi-
ties online, including descriptions of the 
targeted religious group, the content, com-
munication, or activities censored, the 
means used, and government or other enti-
ty engaged in such online censorship activi-
ties.’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (B), in the matter pre-
ceding clause (i)— 
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(A) by inserting ‘‘persecution of lawyers, 
politicians, or other human rights advocates 
seeking to defend the rights of members of reli-
gious groups or highlight religious freedom vio-
lations, prohibitions on ritual animal slaughter 
or male infant circumcision,’’ after ‘‘entire reli-
gions,’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘policies that ban or re-
strict 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)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘A description’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘A comprehensive description’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘policies in support’’ and 
inserting ‘‘religious engagement policies in sup-
port’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end before the period 
the following: ‘‘, and a unique, comprehensive, 
and country-specific analysis of the impact of 
actions by the United States on the status of 
religious freedom in each such country’’; and 
(5) in subparagraph (F), by adding at the end 
the following new clause: 
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‘‘(iii) SPECIAL WATCH LIST.—A list, 
to be known as the ‘Special Watch List’, 
which shall identify any country or violent 
nonstate actor that has engaged in or tol-
erates violations of religious freedom dur-
ing the previous reporting year but which 
the President determines does not meet, at 
the time of the publication of the Annual 
Report, all of the criteria described in sec-
tion 3(11) for designation as a country of 
particular concern for religious freedom 
under section 402(b)(1).’’. 
SEC. 103. TRAINING FOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS; RE-
PORT. 
(a) AMENDMENT
TO FOREIGN SERVICE ACT
OF 
1980.—Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 
(22 U.S.C. 4028) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 
(2) in subsection (d), as redesignated, by strik-
ing ‘‘The Secretary of State’’ and inserting ‘‘REFU-
GEES.—The Secretary of State’’; 
(3) in subsection (e), as redesignated, by strik-
ing ‘‘The Secretary of State’’ and inserting ‘‘CHILD 
SOLDIERS.—The Secretary of State’’; 
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(4) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(a) DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of State 
shall develop a curriculum for training United States 
Foreign Service officers in the scope and strategic 
value of international religious freedom, how viola-
tions of international religious freedom harm funda-
mental United States interests, how the advance-
ment of international religious freedom can advance 
such interests, how United States international reli-
gious freedom policy should be carried out in prac-
tice 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 to combat violent extremism. The Secretary 
of State shall ensure the availability of sufficient re-
sources to develop and implement such curriculum. 
‘‘(2) ROLE
OF
OTHER
OFFICIALS.—The Sec-
retary of State shall carry out paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) with the assistance of the Ambas-
sador at Large for International Religious 
Freedom appointed under section 101(b) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998; 
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‘‘(B) in coordination with the Director of 
the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs 
Training Center and other Federal officials as 
appropriate; and 
‘‘(C) in consultation with the United 
States Commission on International Religious 
Freedom established in section 201(a) of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. 
‘‘(b) TRAINING PROGRAM.—Not later than the date 
that is one year after the date of the enactment of the 
Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 
2015, the Director of the George P. Shultz National For-
eign Affairs Training Center shall begin mandatory train-
ing on religious freedom for all Foreign Service officers, 
including all entry level officers, all officers prior to depar-
ture for posting outside the United States, and all out-
going deputy chiefs of mission and ambassadors. Such 
training shall, at minimum, be a separate, independent, 
and required segment of each of the following: 
‘‘(1) The A–100 course attended by all Foreign 
Service officers. 
‘‘(2) The courses required of every Foreign 
Service officer prior to a posting outside the United 
States, with segments tailored to the particular reli-
gious demography, religious freedom conditions, reli-
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gious engagement strategies, and United States 
strategies for advancing religious freedom, in each 
receiving country. 
‘‘(3) The courses required of all outgoing dep-
uty chiefs of mission and ambassadors. 
‘‘(c) INFORMATION SHARING.—The curriculum and 
training materials developed pursuant to subsections (a) 
and (b) shall be shared with the United States Armed 
Forces, intelligence community (as such term is defined 
in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947), and 
all other Federal departments and agencies whose per-
sonnel serve as attache´s, advisors, or detailees in United 
States embassies globally to provide training and particu-
larized instruction on United States religious freedom poli-
cies, religious traditions, religious engagement strategies, 
religious and cultural issues, and efforts to combat ter-
rorism and violent religious extremism.’’. 
(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 Inter-
national Religious Freedom, and the Director of the 
George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Cen-
ter, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on For-
eign Relations of the Senate a report containing a com-
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prehensive plan for undertaking training for Foreign Serv-
ice officers as required under section 708 of the Foreign 
Services Act of 1980, as amended by subsection (a) of this 
section. 
SEC. 104. PRISONER LISTS AND ISSUE BRIEFS ON RELI-
GIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS. 
Section 108 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6417) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SENSE OF 
THE
CONGRESS’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘POLICY 
STATEMENT
ON DIPLOMATIC ADVOCACY
FOR 
PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘it is the sense of the Con-
gress that officials of the executive branch of 
Government should promote’’ and inserting ‘‘it 
shall be the policy of the United States Govern-
ment that all officials of the executive branch, 
including the Secretary of State, the Ambas-
sador at Large for Religious Freedom, and 
State Department officials from regional bu-
reaus, as appropriate, shall promote’’; 
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘, as appro-
priate, provide’’ and insert ‘‘make available’’; and 
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(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) VICTIMS LIST MAINTAINED BY THE COMMIS-
SION.—The Commission shall make publicly available on-
line and in official publications, regularly updated lists of 
persons it determines are imprisoned, detained, dis-
appeared, placed under house arrest, tortured, or subject 
to forced renunciations of faith for their religious activity 
or religious freedom advocacy by a foreign government or 
violent nonstate actor that the Commission recommends 
for designation as a country of particular concern for reli-
gious freedom under section 402(b) and include as much 
publically available information as possible on the condi-
tions and circumstances of such individuals. In compiling 
such lists, the Commission shall exercise all appropriate 
discretion, including consideration of the safety and secu-
rity of, and benefit to, the persons who may be included 
on the lists and their families.’’. 
TITLE 
II—COMMISSION 
ON 
INTERNATIONAL 
RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM 
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT AND COMPOSITION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 201 of 
the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
U.S.C. 6431) is amended by inserting before the period 
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at the end the following: ‘‘, which shall be an independent 
Federal Government advisory body’’. 
(b) SELECTION.—Subsection (b)(2)(A) of such sec-
tion is amended by inserting at the end the following new 
sentence: ‘‘The Commission as a whole shall also have ex-
pertise on the variety of faiths practiced around the 
world.’’. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—Subsection (b)(3) of such section 
is amended by striking ‘‘The appointments required by 
paragraph (1) shall be made not later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.’’ and inserting the 
following: ‘‘An appointment required by subparagraph (B) 
of paragraph (1) should be made within 90 days of a va-
cancy on the Commission.’’. 
(d) VACANCIES.—Subsection (g) of such section is 
amended by striking the second sentence. 
SEC. 202. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 204 of 
the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
U.S.C. 6432b) is amended in the second sentence, by in-
serting ‘‘voting’’ after ‘‘nine’’. 
(b) COMPENSATION.—Subsection (b) of such section 
is amended by inserting ‘‘voting members of the’’ after 
‘‘The’’. 
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(c) SECURITY CLEARANCES.—Subsection (e) of such 
section is amended by adding at the end the following new 
sentence: ‘‘The Department of State is encouraged to 
allow Commissioners and Commission staff with the ap-
propriate security clearance access to classified informa-
tion, in order to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of 
their positions.’’. 
(d) APPLICATION OF ANTIDISCRIMINATION LAWS.— 
Subsection (g) of such section is amended by inserting ‘‘, 
including discrimination on the basis of religion’’ after 
‘‘employment discrimination’’. 
SEC. 203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 207(a) of the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6435(a)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2021’’. 
SEC. 204. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AND DISCLOSURE. 
Section 208(d)(2) of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6435a(d)(2)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(H) Intern, fellowship, and volunteer pro-
grams that are primarily of educational benefit 
to the intern, fellow, or volunteer. Sponsoring 
private parties may provide compensation and 
benefits to interns, fellows, and volunteers, pro-
vided that no conflict of interest arises. The 
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number, duration, and funding source of any 
such internship, fellowship, or volunteer pro-
grams shall be described in the annual financial 
report required by subsection (e).’’. 
SEC. 205. TERMINATION. 
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, 
2021’’. 
TITLE III—NATIONAL SECURITY 
COUNCIL 
SEC. 301. SPECIAL ADVISER FOR GLOBAL RELIGION EN-
GAGEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM; INTERAGENCY POLICY COMMIT-
TEES. 
(a) AMENDMENTS TO NATIONAL SECURITY ACT OF 
1947.—Section 101 of the National Security Act of 1947 
(50 U.S.C. 3021) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (k)— 
(A) in the first sentence— 
(i) by striking ‘‘It is the sense of that 
there should be’’ and inserting ‘‘The Presi-
dent shall appoint’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘Special Adviser to the 
President on International Religious Free-
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dom, whose position should be comparable 
to that of a director’’ and inserting ‘‘Spe-
cial Adviser for Global Religion Engage-
ment and International Religious Freedom, 
whose position shall be comparable to that 
of a senior director’’; and 
(B) by striking the second and third sen-
tences and inserting the following: ‘‘The Special 
Adviser, shall assist the Ambassador at Large 
for International Religious Freedom described 
in section 101 of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998 to coordinate inter-
national religious freedom policies and global 
religion engagement strategies throughout the 
Executive Branch and develop policy rec-
ommendations and strategies relevant to the 
programs, projects, activities of the Department 
of Defense, the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity, the Department of Justice, the Depart-
ment of State, the Department of the Treasury, 
and the United States Agency for International 
Development. The Special Adviser shall serve as 
a resource and liaison for executive branch offi-
cials, Congress, and nongovernmental organiza-
tions as appropriate on matters relating to 
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international religious freedom policy and en-
gagement with religious communities outside 
the United States.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end, the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(m) INTERAGENCY POLICY COMMITTEE ON INTER-
NATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND GLOBAL RELIGION 
ENGAGEMENT.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There should be estab-
lished within the National Security Council a perma-
nent interagency policy committee to be known as 
the ‘Interagency Policy Committee on International 
Religious Freedom and Global Religion Engagement’ 
(in this subsection referred to as the ‘Committee’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee should be 
chaired by the Ambassador at Large for Religious 
Freedom described in section 101 of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and include 
all appropriate executive agency officials needed to 
carry out the functions of this Act. 
‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The Committee should de-
velop a global religion engagement strategy globally 
to advance international religious freedom, develop 
strategies to better advance international religious 
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freedom policy, and help coordinate such strategies 
across the Executive Branch. 
‘‘(n) INTERAGENCY POLICY COMMITTEE ON RELI-
GION, INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND NA-
TIONAL SECURITY.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There should be estab-
lished within the National Security Council a perma-
nent interagency policy committee to be known as 
the ‘Interagency Policy Committee on Religion, 
International Religious Freedom, and National Secu-
rity’ (in this subsection referred to as the ‘Com-
mittee’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee should be 
co-chaired by the Deputy National Security Advisor 
and the Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom 
described in section 101 of the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998. 
‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The Committee should ana-
lyze conditions and trends of international religious 
freedom and identify potential national security risks 
related to the absence of religious freedom globally, 
including threats to stability from authoritarian gov-
ernments, terrorism, violent religious extremism, sec-
tarian and religiously related violence, and laws that 
restrict religious freedom and develop strategies to 
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address such threats. In addition, the Committee 
should coordinate policy on the intersection of reli-
gion, international religious freedom, and United 
States interests in preventing terrorism, countering 
violent extremism, and mitigating and preventing 
conflict.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President should 
promulgate regulations to carry out subsections (k), (m), 
and (n) of section 101 of the National Security Act of 
1947 as amended by subsection (a) of this section. 
TITLE IV—PRESIDENTIAL 
ACTIONS 
SEC. 401. PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO VIOLA-
TIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
Section 401(b)(2) of the International Religious 
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6441(b)(2)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) DEADLINE FOR ACTIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), not later than 90 days after 
the date on which each of the Annual Reports 
is submitted under section 102(b), the Presi-
dent shall take 1 or more of the actions re-
ferred to in section 405(a) or a commensurate 
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action with respect to each foreign country and 
violent nonstate actor that has engaged in or 
tolerated violations of religious freedom at any 
time since the previous such report was sub-
mitted. 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
PREREQUISITE.—The 
President may not take any of the actions de-
scribed in paragraphs (9) through (15) of sec-
tion 405(a) or a commensurate action with re-
spect to a foreign country or violent nonstate 
actor until the President certifies that the re-
quirements under sections 403 and 404 have 
been satisfied with respect to such country or 
actor.’’. 
SEC. 402. PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO PAR-
TICULARLY SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELI-
GIOUS 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 Re-
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port is submitted under section 102(b), the 
President shall— 
‘‘(i) review the status of religious free-
dom in each foreign country to determine 
whether the government of that country 
has engaged in or tolerated particularly se-
vere violations of religious freedom in each 
such country during the preceding 12 
months or longer; and 
‘‘(ii) designate each country the gov-
ernment of which has engaged in or toler-
ated violations described in clause (i) as a 
country of particular concern for religious 
freedom under section 402(b).’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘September 1 of the respective year’’ and 
inserting ‘‘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 Presi-
dent designates a country as a country of par-
ticular concern for religious freedom under 
paragraph (1)(A), the President shall, not later 
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than 90 days after the designation is made, 
transmit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees— 
‘‘(i) the designation of the country, 
signed by the President; 
‘‘(ii) the identification, if any, of re-
sponsible parties determined under para-
graph (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 par-
ticular concern for religious freedom under 
paragraph (1)(A) shall retain such designation 
until the President determines and reports to 
the appropriate congressional committees that 
the country should no longer be so designated. 
‘‘(C) EXPLANATION
FOR
NONDESIGNA-
TION.—If the President does not designate a 
country as a country of particular concern for 
religious freedom under paragraph (1)(A) after 
the Commission has recommended such des-
ignation, the President shall provide an expla-
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nation for the nondesignation to the appro-
priate congressional committees.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end, the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) TREATMENT OF COUNTRIES ON SPECIAL 
WATCH LIST.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The President shall 
designate as a country of particular concern for 
religious freedom under paragraph (1)(A) any 
country that appears on the Special Watch 
List— 
‘‘(i) in more than 2 consecutive An-
nual Reports; 
‘‘(ii) in any 4 Annual Reports; or 
‘‘(iii) in more than 1 Annual Report if 
the President has previously designated 
such country as a country of particular 
concern for religious freedom under para-
graph (1)(A). 
‘‘(B) EXERCISE OF WAIVER AUTHORITY.— 
The President may waive the application of 
clauses (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A) with re-
spect to a country for up to 2 years if the 
President certifies to the appropriate commit-
tees of Congress that— 
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‘‘(i) the country has entered into an 
agreement with the United States to carry 
out specific and credible actions to improve 
religious freedom conditions and end reli-
gious freedom violations; 
‘‘(ii) the country has entered into an 
agreement with the United Nations, the 
European Union, or other ally of the 
United States, to carry out specific and 
credible actions to improve religious free-
dom conditions and end religious freedom 
violations; or 
‘‘(iii) waiver is in the national security 
interests of the United States. 
‘‘(C) EFFECT ON DESIGNATION AS COUN-
TRY 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 par-
ticular concern for religious freedom under 
paragraph (1)(A) in any such year.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(5), in the second sentence, 
by inserting ‘‘and include a description of the impact 
of the designation of such sanction or sanctions that 
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exist in each country’’ after ‘‘determines satisfy the 
requirements 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 
90 days’’. 
SEC. 404. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Section 404(a) of the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6444(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘decides to take action under 
section 401’’ and inserting ‘‘takes action under sec-
tion 401’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘decides to take action under 
paragraphs’’ and inserting ‘‘takes the required ac-
tion under paragraphs’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (4)(A)— 
(A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(iv) the impact on other policy tools, 
and a description of policy tools being ap-
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plied in the country, including programs 
that target democratic stability, economic 
growth, and counterterrorism.’’. 
SEC. 405. PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER. 
Section 407 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6447) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, for a 180- 
day period,’’ after ‘‘may waive’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that ongoing and persistent waivers for any country 
designated as a country of particular concern for religious 
freedom under section 402(b) for engaging in or tolerating 
particularly severe violations of religious freedom do not 
fulfill the purposes of this Act, and, given that promotion 
of religious freedom is a compelling 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 exist-
ing violations, on a country-by-country basis, through the 
actions specified in section 405 or other commensurate ac-
tions, possibly including through the actions described in 
section 605, or by some other action that addresses the 
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specific religious freedom violations of each country des-
ignated.’’. 
SEC. 406. TERMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS. 
Section 409 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6449) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘SEC. 409. TERMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS. 
‘‘Any Presidential action taken under this Act with 
respect to a foreign country shall terminate after a deter-
mination by the President, in consultation with the Com-
mission, and written certification to Congress that the for-
eign government has taken substantial and verifiable steps 
to cease the particularly severe violations of religious free-
dom.’’. 
SEC. 407. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING COUNTRY OF 
PARTICULAR CONCERN DESIGNATION FOR 
VIOLENT NONSTATE ACTORS. 
Title IV of the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6441 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 405 the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 405A. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING COUNTRY 
OF 
PARTICULAR 
CONCERN 
DESIGNATION 
FOR VIOLENT NONSTATE ACTORS. 
‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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‘‘(1) Since 1998, various administrations have 
made designations targeting violent nonstate actors 
who engaged in or tolerated systematic, egregious, or 
ongoing violations of religious freedom, such as the 
Taliban and Serbian groups carrying on atrocities 
against Bosnians. 
‘‘(2) Over the past 10 years the number of vio-
lent nonstate actors has increased, as have violations 
of religious freedom perpetuated by such actors. 
‘‘(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the pol-
icy of the United States Government that— 
‘‘(1) violent nonstate actors should be eligible 
for designation as countries of particular concern de-
scribed in section 402(b) and that Presidential ac-
tions described in section 405, 604, or 605 of this 
Act should be applicable to violent nonstate actors or 
individual members of such groups; and 
‘‘(2) the President should include, in the report 
to Congress required by section 404, any reasons 
why violent nonstate actors that engaged in or toler-
ated restrictions on religious freedom, were not des-
ignated as countries of particular concern, particu-
larly if the Commission made a recommendation for 
such a designation to the President and whether any 
Presidential actions described in section 405, 604, or 
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605 were taken against violent nonstate actors or in-
dividual members of such groups.’’. 
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 subsections: 
‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—Of the amounts 
made available for fiscal years 2016 through 2021 for the 
Human Rights and Democracy Fund established under 
section 664 of the Freedom Investment Act of 2002 (sub-
title E of title VI of Public Law 107–228), the Secretary 
of State shall provide to the Office— 
‘‘(1) not less than 10 percent of such amounts 
for each such fiscal year for the promotion of inter-
national religious freedom through— 
‘‘(A) groups that are able to develop legal 
protections or promote cultural and societal un-
derstanding of international norms of religious 
freedom; 
‘‘(B) groups that seek to address and miti-
gate religiously motivated and sectarian violence 
and combat violent extremism; and 
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‘‘(C) those seeking to strengthen investiga-
tions, reporting and monitoring of religious 
freedom violations; and 
‘‘(2) not less than 2 percent of such amounts 
for each such fiscal year for the Religious Freedom 
Defense Fund established under subsection (d). 
‘‘(d) RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DEFENSE FUND.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Department of State a fund to be known as the 
‘Religious Freedom Defense Fund’ (referred to in 
this subsection as the ‘Fund’) which shall be admin-
istered by the Ambassador at Large. 
‘‘(2) AMOUNTS.—The Fund shall consist of 
amounts made available under subsection (c)(2). 
‘‘(3) USE
OF
FUND.—The Ambassador at 
Large shall use amounts in the Fund to issue grants 
for the following: 
‘‘(A) Victims of religious freedom abuses 
and their families to cover legal and other ex-
penses that may arise from detention, imprison-
ment, torture, fines, and other restrictions. 
‘‘(B) Projects to help create and support 
training of a new generation of defenders of re-
ligious freedom, including legal and political ad-
vocates, and civil society projects which seek to 
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