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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‘‘(iv) particularly severe violations of 
religious freedom occurring in the country 
but where a government does not exist or 
the government does not control its terri-
tory; 
‘‘(v) an identification of whether the 
country is designated or re-designated as a 
country of particular concern for religious 
freedom under section 402 and, if the 
country is designated or re-designated as a 
country of particular concern for religious 
freedom, a description of the presidential 
action or actions that have been taken with 
respect to the country as described in sec-
tion 402; 
‘‘(vi) an identification of prisoners in 
that country pursuant to section 108; 
and’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘A description’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘A comprehensive description’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘the measures’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘the specific measures’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end before the period 
the following: ‘‘and an analysis of the impact of 
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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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