In the Senate of the United States, 
December 10 (legislative day, December 9), 2016. 
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representa-
tives (H.R. 1150) entitled ‘‘An Act to amend the Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to improve the abil-
ity 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.’’, do 
pass with the following 
AMENDMENT: 
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following: 
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.
† HR 1150 EAS 
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 reli-
gious 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 Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)) is amend-
ed— 
(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 ‘‘Gov-
ernments’’;
† HR 1150 EAS 
(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 coun-
try can be indicative of a poor state of religious free-
dom in that country.’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (6)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and the specific targeting 
of non-theists, 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 Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(b)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) 
as subparagraphs (A) through (E); 
(2) by striking the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A), as redesignated, and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The following shall be the 
policy of the United States:’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following:
† HR 1150 EAS 
‘‘(2) EVOLVING POLICIES AND COORDINATED DIP-
LOMATIC
RESPONSES.—Because the promotion of 
international religious freedom protects human rights, 
advances democracy abroad, and advances United 
States interests in stability, security, and develop-
ment globally, the promotion of international reli-
gious freedom requires new and evolving policies and 
diplomatic responses that— 
‘‘(A) are drawn from the expertise of the 
national security agencies, the diplomatic serv-
ices, and other governmental agencies and non-
governmental 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 appli-
cations 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.
† HR 1150 EAS 
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 para-
graph (16); 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (10), (11), and 
(12) as paragraphs (12), (13), and (14), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(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). 
‘‘(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 redesig-
nated, 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
† HR 1150 EAS 
(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 reli-
gion, or any religion;’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘conscience, non-the-
istic 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 FREE-
DOM; AMBASSADOR AT LARGE FOR INTER-
NATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 101 of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6411) is amend-
ed—
† HR 1150 EAS 
(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 in-
serting ‘‘responsibilities’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘shall be to advance’’ 
and inserting the following: ‘‘shall be to— 
‘‘(A) advance’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (A), as redesig-
nated, 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;
† HR 1150 EAS 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 
and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) contacts with nongovernmental organi-
zations that have an impact on the state of reli-
gious freedom in their respective societies or re-
gions, or internationally.’’; 
(D) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 
paragraph (5); and 
(E) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(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 ad-
vance United States national security interests,
† HR 1150 EAS 
including in democracy promotion, stability, se-
curity, and development globally.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘staff for the 
Office’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘appro-
priate staff for the Office, including full-time equiva-
lent positions and other temporary staff positions 
needed to compile, edit, and manage the Annual Re-
port 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 du-
ties described in this section, including, as necessary, 
representation funds. On the date on which the Presi-
dent’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 Reli-
gious 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.
† HR 1150 EAS 
SEC. 102. ANNUAL REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 102(b)(1) of the Inter-
national 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 fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iv) particularly severe violations of 
religious freedom in that country if such 
country does not have a functioning govern-
ment or the government of such country 
does not control its territory; 
‘‘(v) the identification of prisoners, to 
the extent possible, in that country pursu-
ant to section 108(d); 
‘‘(vi) any action taken by the govern-
ment of that country to censor religious con-
tent, communications, or worship activities
† HR 1150 EAS 
online, including descriptions of the tar-
geted religious group, the content, commu-
nication, or activities censored, and the 
means used; and’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (B), in the matter pre-
ceding clause (i)— 
(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 viola-
tions, 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), by striking ‘‘A descrip-
tion of United States actions and’’ and inserting ‘‘A 
detailed description of United States actions, diplo-
matic and political coordination efforts, and other’’; 
and 
(5) in subparagraph (F)(i)—
† HR 1150 EAS 
(A) by striking ‘‘section 402(b)(1)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 402(b)(1)(A)(ii)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Any country in which a non-state actor des-
ignated as an entity of particular concern for re-
ligious freedom under section 301 of the Frank 
R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act is 
located shall be included in this section of the re-
port.’’. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) the original intent of the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) 
was to require annual reports from both the Depart-
ment 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 coordi-
† HR 1150 EAS 
nate 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), re-
spectively; 
(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: 
‘‘(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 For-
eign 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 free-
dom for all Foreign Service officers, including
† HR 1150 EAS 
all entry level officers, all officers prior to depar-
ture for posting outside the United States, and 
all outgoing deputy chiefs of mission and ambas-
sadors. Such training shall be included in— 
‘‘(i) the A–100 course attended by all 
Foreign Service officers; 
‘‘(ii) the courses required of every For-
eign Service officer prior to a posting out-
side the United States, with segments tai-
lored to the particular religious demog-
raphy, religious freedom conditions, and 
United States strategies for advancing reli-
gious freedom, in each receiving country; 
and 
‘‘(iii) the courses required of all out-
going deputy chiefs of mission and ambas-
sadors. 
‘‘(B) DEVELOPMENT OF CURRICULUM.—In 
carrying out the training required under para-
graph (1)(B), the Ambassador at Large for Inter-
national Religious Freedom, in coordination 
with the Director of the George P. Shultz Na-
tional Foreign Affairs Training Center and other 
Federal officials, as appropriate, and in con-
sultation with the United States Commission on
† HR 1150 EAS 
International 
Religious 
Freedom 
established 
under section 201(a) of the International Reli-
gious 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 vio-
lations of international religious freedom harm 
fundamental United States interests, how the ad-
vancement of international religious freedom can 
advance such interests, how United States inter-
national religious freedom policy should be car-
ried out in practice by United States diplomats 
and other Foreign Service officers, and the rel-
evance and relationship of international reli-
gious freedom to United States defense, diplo-
macy, development, and public affairs efforts. 
The Secretary of State should ensure the avail-
ability of sufficient resources to develop and im-
plement such curriculum. 
‘‘(C) INFORMATION
SHARING.—The cur-
riculum and training materials developed under 
this paragraph shall be shared with the United 
States Armed Forces and other Federal depart-
† HR 1150 EAS 
ments and agencies with personnel who are sta-
tioned overseas, as appropriate, to provide train-
ing 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 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘The Secretary 
of State’’ and inserting ‘‘CHILD SOLDIERS.—The Sec-
retary 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 Com-
mittee 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 Serv-
† HR 1150 EAS 
ice officers under section 708 of the Foreign Services Act 
of 1980, as amended by subsection (a). 
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 (b), by striking ‘‘faith,’’ and in-
serting ‘‘activities, religious freedom advocacy, or ef-
forts to protect and advance the universally recog-
nized right to the freedom of religion,’’; 
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘, as appro-
priate, 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 deter-
mines are imprisoned or detained, have disappeared, 
been placed under house arrest, been tortured, or sub-
jected to forced renunciations of faith for their reli-
gious activity or religious freedom advocacy by the 
government of a foreign country that the Commission 
recommends for designation as a country of par-
† HR 1150 EAS 
ticular concern for religious freedom under section 
402(b)(1)(A)(ii) or by a non-state actor that the Com-
mission 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 cir-
cumstances of such persons. 
‘‘(2) DISCRETION.—In compiling lists under 
paragraph (1), the Commission shall exercise all ap-
propriate 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 RELI-
GIOUS FREEDOM. 
The position described in section 101(k) of the Na-
tional Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3021(k)) should as-
sist the Ambassador at Large for International Religious 
Freedom to coordinate international religious freedom poli-
cies and strategies throughout the executive branch and 
within any interagency policy committee of which the Am-
bassador at Large is a member.
† HR 1150 EAS 
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 op-
erating in any such reviewed country or surrounding 
region that have engaged in particularly severe viola-
tions of religious freedom; and 
(2) designate, in a manner consistent with such 
Act, each such non-state actor as an entity of par-
ticular concern for religious freedom. 
(b) REPORT.—Whenever the President designates a 
non-state actor under subsection (a) as an entity of par-
ticular 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 ac-
tions, when practicable, to address severe violations of reli-
gious freedom of non-state actors that are designated under 
subsection (a)(2).
† HR 1150 EAS 
(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 sub-
section (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 Con-
gress and the U.S. Commission on International Reli-
gious 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 Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6445); 
(2) governments must ultimately be held ac-
countable for the abuses that occur in their territories; 
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
† HR 1150 EAS 
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 reli-
gious 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. 
(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)—
† HR 1150 EAS 
(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 free-
dom 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 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 re-
ligious 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
† HR 1150 EAS 
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 appro-
priate congressional committees— 
‘‘(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 ac-
tions taken, and the effectiveness of the ac-
tions taken.
† HR 1150 EAS 
‘‘(B) REMOVAL OF DESIGNATION.—A coun-
try 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 appro-
priate 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 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 sanctions 
which he determines satisfy the requirements of this 
subsection.’’ and inserting ‘‘the President shall des-
ignate the specific sanction or sanctions that the 
President determines satisfy the requirements under 
this subsection and include a description of the im-
pact of such sanction or sanctions on each country.’’.
† HR 1150 EAS 
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 amend-
ed— 
(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 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 insert-
ing ‘‘subsection (c)’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, for a single, 180-day pe-
riod,’’ after ‘‘may waive’’; 
(C) by striking paragraph (1); and 
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 
(3) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively;
† HR 1150 EAS 
(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection 
(c); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(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 sub-
section (a), the application of any of the actions described 
in paragraphs (9) through (15) of section 405(a) (or a com-
mensurate 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 au-
thority.’’; 
(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 Congress 
that— 
‘‘(1) ongoing and persistent waivers of the appli-
cation of any of the actions described in paragraphs 
(9) through (15) of section 405(a) (or commensurate
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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 pol-
icy, the President, the Secretary of State, and other 
executive branch officials, in consultation with Con-
gress, should seek to find ways to address existing vio-
lations, on a case-by-case basis, through the actions 
described in section 405 or other commensurate sub-
stitute action.’’. 
SEC. 305. PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER. 
Section 408(a)(1) of the International Religious Free-
dom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6448(a)(1)) is amended by add-
ing 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 Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act and, if applicable and to 
the extent practicable, the identities of individuals deter-
mined to be responsible for violations described in sub-
section (f) of such section.’’.
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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 sup-
port— 
(1) the vigorous promotion of international reli-
gious 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 protec-
tions or promoting cultural and societal under-
standing of international norms of religious free-
dom; 
(B) seek to address and mitigate religiously 
motivated and sectarian violence and combat 
violent extremism; or 
(C) seek to strengthen investigations, report-
ing, and monitoring of religious freedom viola-
tions, including genocide perpetrated against re-
ligious minorities; and
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(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 reli-
gious freedom, including legal and political ad-
vocates, and civil society projects which seek to 
create advocacy networks, strengthen legal rep-
resentation, train and educate new religious free-
dom defenders, and build the capacity of reli-
gious communities and rights defenders to pro-
tect against religious freedom violations, miti-
gate 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 ap-
propriate, give preference to projects targeting religious 
freedom violations in countries—
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(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 Reli-
gious 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 Am-
bassador at Large for International Religious Free-
dom. 
(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, non-
governmental organizations.
† HR 1150 EAS 
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: 
‘‘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 finan-
† HR 1150 EAS 
cial sanctions or other measures for particularly se-
vere violations of freedom religion. 
‘‘(2) REFERENCE.—The list required under 
paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘Designated Per-
sons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Reli-
gious Freedom’. 
‘‘(b) REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall 
submit a report to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees that contains the list required under sub-
section (a), including, with respect to each foreign in-
dividual on the list— 
‘‘(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 loca-
tion in which such violation took place; and 
‘‘(C) a description of the actions taken pur-
suant 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 para-
graph (1) not later than 180 days after the date
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of the enactment of the Frank R. Wolf Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act; and 
‘‘(B) updates to the report every 180 days 
thereafter and as new information becomes avail-
able. 
‘‘(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; 
‘‘(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.’’.