(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’’; 
(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); 
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(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: 
‘‘(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-
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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. 
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 
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‘‘(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 
(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,’’. 
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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— 
(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.’’; 
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(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; 
(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— 
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‘‘(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, 
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 ‘‘adequate 
staff for the Office, including full-time equivalent po-
sitions and any other temporary staff positions need-
ed to compile, edit, and manage the Annual Report 
under the direct supervision of the Ambassador at 
Large, and for the conduct of investigations by the Of-
fice 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 duties 
described in this section, including, as necessary, rep-
resentation 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 
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report on staffing levels for the International Reli-
gious Freedom Office.’’. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) periodic severe understaffing in the past has 
hindered the vital work of the International Religious 
Freedom Office; and 
(2) maintaining an adequate staffing level at the 
Office, such as was in place during fiscal year 2016, 
is necessary for the Office to carry on its vital work. 
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: 
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‘‘(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 
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 
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(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)— 
(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-
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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-
nate with the Commission to fulfill the original intent 
of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. 
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 (e) and (f), respectively; 
(2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Secretary 
of State’’ and inserting ‘‘HUMAN RIGHTS, RELIGIOUS 
FREEDOM, AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING.— 
The Secretary of State’’; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
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