(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 ac-
countable for the abuses that occur in their terri-
tories; and 
(3) any actions the President takes after desig-
nating 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 con-
cern for religious freedom under subsection (a), shall seek 
to determine, to the extent practicable, the specific offi-
cials or members that are responsible for the particularly 
severe violations of religious freedom engaged in or toler-
ated by such non-state actor. 
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(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’, ‘‘non-state actor’’, and 
‘‘particularly severe violations of religious freedom’’ have 
the meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Inter-
national 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 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-
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 
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such country during the preceding 12 
months or longer; 
‘‘(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; and 
‘‘(iii) designate each country that en-
gaged 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.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Whenever the Presi-
dent designates a country as a country of par-
ticular concern for religious freedom under 
paragraph (1)(A)(ii), the President, not later 
than 90 days after such designation, shall sub-
mit to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees— 
‘‘(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)(ii) shall retain such designa-
tion until the President determines and reports 
to the appropriate congressional committees 
that the country should no longer be so des-
ignated.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(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 coun-
try 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 Presi-
dent must designate the specific sanction or sanc-
tions 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 require-
ments under this subsection and include a descrip-
tion 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: 
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‘‘(iv) the impact on the advancement 
of United States interests in democracy, 
human rights, and security, and a descrip-
tion 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 in-
serting ‘‘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 sub-
section (c); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL
AUTHORITY.—Subject to sub-
section (c), the President may waive, for any additional 
specified period of time after the 180-day period described 
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in subsection (a), the application of any of the actions de-
scribed 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 insert-
ing ‘‘or (b)’’ after ‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
‘‘(1) ongoing and persistent waivers of the ap-
plication of any of the actions described in para-
graphs (9) through (15) of section 405(a) (or com-
mensurate substitute action) with respect to a coun-
try 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 
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Congress, should seek to find ways to address exist-
ing violations, on a case-by-case basis, through the 
actions described in section 405 or other commensu-
rate 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 FREE-
DOM. 
(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 reli-
gious freedom and for projects to advance United 
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States interests in the protection and advancement 
of international religious freedom, in particular, 
through grants to groups that— 
(A) are capable of developing legal protec-
tions or promoting cultural and societal under-
standing of international norms of religious 
freedom; 
(B) seek to address and mitigate reli-
giously motivated and sectarian violence and 
combat violent extremism; or 
(C) seek to strengthen investigations, re-
porting, 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 re-
ligious freedom, including legal and political ad-
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vocates, and civil society projects which seek to 
create advocacy networks, strengthen legal rep-
resentation, train and educate new religious 
freedom defenders, and build the capacity of re-
ligious communities and rights defenders to 
protect against religious freedom violations, 
mitigate societal or sectarian violence, or mini-
mize 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 con-
cern 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 de-
scribed in section 402(b)(1)(A)(iii) of the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as added 
by section 302(1)(A)(i) of this Act. 
(c) ADMINISTRATION AND CONSULTATIONS.— 
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—Amounts made avail-
able under subsection (a) shall be administered by 
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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 Inter-
national Religious Freedom and, as appropriate, 
nongovernmental organizations. 
TITLE V—DESIGNATED PERSONS 
LIST FOR PARTICULARLY SE-
VERE VIOLATIONS OF RELI-
GIOUS FREEDOM 
SEC. 501. DESIGNATED PERSONS LIST FOR PARTICULARLY 
SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREE-
DOM. 
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: 
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‘‘SEC. 605. DESIGNATED PERSONS LIST FOR PARTICULARLY 
SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREE-
DOM. 
‘‘(a) LIST.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in 
coordination with the Ambassador at Large and in 
consultation with relevant government and non-
government experts, shall establish and maintain a 
list of foreign individuals to whom a consular post 
has denied a visa on the grounds of particularly se-
vere 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 of 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.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of State 
shall submit a report to the appropriate congres-
sional committees that contains the list required 
under subsection (a), including, with respect to each 
foreign individual on the list— 
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‘‘(A) the name of the individual and a de-
scription of the particularly severe violation of 
religious freedom committed by the individual; 
‘‘(B) the name of the country or other lo-
cation in which such violation took place; and 
‘‘(C) a description of the actions taken 
pursuant to this Act or any other Act or Execu-
tive order in response to such violation. 
‘‘(2) SUBMISSION
AND
UPDATES.—The Sec-
retary of State shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees— 
‘‘(A) the initial report required under para-
graph (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 para-
graph (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; 
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‘‘(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 
EDU-
CATION OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. 
‘‘(a) FINDING.—Congress recognizes the enduring 
importance of United States institutions of higher edu-
cation worldwide— 
‘‘(1) for their potential for shaping positive 
leadership and new educational models in host coun-
tries; and 
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‘‘(2) for their emphasis on teaching universally 
recognized rights of free inquiry and academic free-
dom. 
‘‘(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that United States institutions of higher education 
operating campuses outside the United States or estab-
lishing any educational entities 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 peace-
ful practice of religion in no way affect, or be al-
lowed 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, con-
tracts, 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. 
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‘‘SEC. 703. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING NATIONAL SE-
CURITY STRATEGY TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM THROUGH UNITED STATES FOR-
EIGN 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 free-
dom as a foreign policy and national security pri-
ority; 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 Re-
view.’’. 
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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 sec-
tion 604 the following: 
‘‘Sec. 605. Designated Persons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Reli-
gious Freedom.’’; 
and 
(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.’’. 
Æ 
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