Commission on or after such date of enactment 
may not serve more than 1 term as members of 
the Commission under any circumstance. Indi-
viduals whose service as members of the Com-
mission ended before such date of enactment 
may not be reappointed to the Commission.’’; 
(3) by amending subsection (d) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(d) ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.—At the 
first meeting of the Commission after May 30 of each 
year, a majority of the members of the Commission who 
are present and voting shall elect a Chair and a Vice 
Chair. The Vice Chair shall have been appointed by an 
officeholder from a different political party than the office-
holder who appointed the member of the Commission who 
was elected Chair. The positions of Chair and Vice Chair 
shall be rotated annually between members who were ap-
pointed to the Commission by officeholders of different po-
litical parties.’’; 
(4) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘Country Re-
port on Human Rights Practices’’ and inserting 
‘‘International Religious Freedom Report’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) REMOVAL.—If a payment is made under section 
415(a) of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 
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(2 U.S.C. 1415(a)) for an award or settlement in connec-
tion with a claim alleging a violation of unlawful harass-
ment, intimidation, reprisal, or discrimination under the 
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301 
et seq.) that was committed personally by an individual 
who, at the time of committing the violation, was a Mem-
ber of the Commission, the Member shall be removed from 
the Commission.’’. 
SEC. 4. DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) DUTIES.—Section 202 of the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6432) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ‘‘globally 
and the abuse of religion to justify human rights vio-
lations, including those’’ after ‘‘freedom’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The Commission’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) TRACKING; 
REVIEW.—The Commission 
shall regularly— 
‘‘(A) track the implementation by the 
United States Government of the recommenda-
tions it makes under paragraph (1); and 
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‘‘(B) review, to the extent practicable, the 
effectiveness of such implemented recommenda-
tions in advancing religious freedom inter-
nationally.’’. 
(b) POWERS.—Section 203(e) of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6432a(e)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Members of the Commis-
sion’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Members of the Com-
mission’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1), as redesignated, by insert-
ing ‘‘When a member of the Commission is speaking 
at a public event in his or her capacity as a private 
citizen, the event sponsor shall not identify the mem-
ber’s affiliation with the Commission in any printed 
materials or when introducing the member.’’ after 
‘‘private citizens.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) SPEAKING AT EVENTS IN OFFICIAL CAPAC-
ITY.—When a Member of the Commission is invited 
to speak at an event in his or her capacity as a 
Commissioner, the Member shall provide notice of 
the request to all Commissioners and the Executive 
Director as soon as the Commissioner becomes 
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aware of the request. When a specific Commissioner 
is requested to speak at an event, but a different 
Commissioner has more relevant subject-matter ex-
pertise, the Commission may propose that a dif-
ferent Commissioner speak at the event. If more 
than 1 Commissioner would like to speak at an event 
and interested Commissioners cannot reach a timely, 
amicable decision on who shall speak, the Commis-
sion, as a whole, shall decide who shall speak by ma-
jority vote. Speeches and responses to questions at 
events shall reflect the views of the Commission. 
Speeches and other prepared materials must be cir-
culated to all Commissioners in advance of the 
event.’’. 
SEC. 5. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 204 of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6432b) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘, without regard to civil 
service laws and regulations,’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘and such other additional 
personnel’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘. The 
Executive Director, with the approval of the 
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Chair and the Vice Chair, may appoint or ter-
minate additional senior staff’’; and 
(C) by inserting ‘‘The Executive Director, 
in consultation with the relevant Members of 
the Commission, may appoint or terminate such 
junior staff as may be necessary to enable the 
Commission to perform its duties.’’ after ‘‘du-
ties.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘fix the compensation of 
the Executive Director and other personnel’’ 
and inserting ‘‘provide reasonable compensation 
to the Executive Director’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘and other personnel may 
not exceed the rate payable for level V of the 
Executive Schedule under section 5316’’ and in-
serting ‘‘may not exceed the rate payable under 
level II of the Executive Schedule under section 
5313’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘The rate of pay for other personnel of the 
Commission may not exceed the rate payable 
for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5315 of such title. All employees of the 
Commission shall otherwise be treated as em-
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ployees whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary 
of the Senate, including for purposes of apply-
ing the Standing Rules of the Senate. The 
Commission shall be treated as an employing 
office of the Senate.’’; 
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘the commis-
sion, for the executive director’’ and inserting ‘‘the 
Commission, for the Executive Director’’; and 
(4) by striking subsection (g). 
(b) COVERAGE OF COMMISSION EMPLOYEES.—Sec-
tion 101(b) of the Congressional Accountability Act (2 
U.S.C. 1301) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘the United 
States Commission on International Religious Free-
dom,’’ after ‘‘With respect to’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii); 
(B) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ before ‘‘Subject to 
paragraph (3),’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) Subject to paragraph (3), legal assist-
ance and representation under this Act, includ-
ing assistance and representation with respect 
to the proposal or acceptance of the disposition 
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of a claim under this Act, shall be provided to 
the United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom by the Office of Senate 
Chief Counsel for Employment of the Senate, in 
the case of assistance and representation in 
connection with a claim filed under title IV (in-
cluding all subsequent proceedings under such 
title in connection with such claim).’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) the term ‘United States Commission 
on International Religious Freedom’ means the 
Commission established under section 201 of 
the International Religious Freedom Act of 
1998 (22 U.S.C. 6431).’’. 
SEC. 6. COMMISSION TRAVEL AND ANNUAL DISCLOSURES. 
(a) DUTIES.—Section 201(i) of the International Re-
ligious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6431(i)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘are subject to’’ and inserting ‘‘shall 
comply with’’. 
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(b) POWERS.—Section 203(f) of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6432a(f)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Members of the Commis-
sion’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Members of the Com-
mission’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) PROHIBITION AGAINST PAYMENT OF OFFI-
CIAL
TRAVEL
BY
NON-FEDERAL
SOURCES.—Mem-
bers of the Commission and Commission staff may 
not accept payment from a non-Federal source for 
expenses related to official travel on behalf of the 
Commission.’’. 
(c) ANNUAL DISCLOSURES.—Section 203 of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, as amended 
by subsection (b), is further amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(g) ANNUAL DISCLOSURES.—Not later than March 
1 of each year, each Member of the Commission shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives, the Committee on Appropriations of the Sen-
ate, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
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of Representatives a report that discloses, with respect to 
the most recently concluded 12-month period— 
‘‘(1) any travel by the Member outside of the 
United States that was paid for or reimbursed by a 
person or entity other than the Member, a relative 
of the Member, or the Federal Government, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(A) who paid for or reimbursed the trav-
el; 
‘‘(B) a good faith estimate of the cost of 
the travel; and 
‘‘(C) brief details of the travel and events 
related to such travel; and 
‘‘(2) any instances in which the Member was 
identified as a Commissioner while speaking at, or 
otherwise participating in, a public event in his or 
her capacity as a private citizen.’’. 
SEC. 7. RECORD RETENTION. 
Section 208 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6435a) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(f) COMMISSION RECORDS.—The Commission shall 
comply with all of the records management requirements 
set forth in chapter 31 of title 44, United States Code 
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(commonly referred to as the ‘Federal Records Act of 
1950’). 
‘‘(g) OFFICIAL
EMAIL
FOR
COMMISSION
BUSI-
NESS.—When conducting any Commission business 
through email, Commission Members and staff shall use 
official Commission email.’’. 
SEC. 8. APPLICABILITY OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA-
TION ACT AND THE ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT 
ACT OF 1978. 
Section 206 of the International Religious Freedom 
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6434) is amended by— 
(1) inserting ‘‘(a) FEDERAL ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE ACT.—’’ before ‘‘The’’; and 
(2) adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(b) FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION ACT.—Notwith-
standing sections 551 or 552(f) of title 5, United States 
Code, the Commission shall be considered to be an agency 
for purposes of section 552 of such title. 
‘‘(c) ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT ACT OF 1978.—Each 
Commissioner appointed under section 201(b)(1)(B) 
shall— 
‘‘(1) be subject to the requirements of the Eth-
ics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App); and 
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‘‘(2) submit financial disclosure reports under 
such Act in the same form and manner as an indi-
vidual described in section 101(f)(10) of such Act. 
‘‘(d) 
CLARIFICATION.—Each 
Commissioner 
ap-
pointed under section 201(b)(1)(B) shall not be considered 
a Federal employee except for the purposes of chapter 81 
of title 5, United States Code, (relating to job-incurred 
disability) and title 28, United States Code, (relating to 
tort claims).’’. 
SEC. 9. STRATEGIC PLAN. 
Section 4(d) of the United States Commission on 
International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 
2015 (22 U.S.C. 6433a(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
the Act, and not less frequently than biennially thereafter’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of the United States Commission on Inter-
national Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2019, 
and every 2 years thereafter’’. 
SEC. 10. 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 ‘‘$3,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2016 to 
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2019’’ and inserting ‘‘$4,500,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2020 through 2023’’. 
Æ 
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