Eshoo, Smith International Religious Freedom Legislation Sent to President
December 14th, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D- CA), Co-Chair of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus, issued the following statement after legislation she co-authored with Rep. Chris Smith (R- NJ) was sent to the President for his signature. The bipartisan Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (H.R. 1150) will expand the International Religious Freedom Act sponsored by former Rep. Frank Wolf in 1998 to better address escalating religious persecution globally and give the Administration and the U.S. State Department new resources to improve U.S. religious freedom diplomacy efforts globally.
“As the daughter of Christians who fled persecution in the Middle East,” Eshoo said, “the importance of religious freedom is interwoven in the history of my family as it is in the history of the United States. The freedom of religion embodied in the First Amendment is one of the most important and foundational rights in our country and it is what makes our nation a shining beacon of freedom and tolerance for the entire world.
“It is also in the U.S. national security interest that the value of freedom of religion be extended to all citizens of the world. Through the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, the U.S. government will receive new resources to help improve our religious freedom diplomacy efforts globally.
“I’m proud to honor my former colleague Congressman Frank Wolf with our legislation. Through his tireless efforts, religious freedom is now being taken seriously as a foreign policy issue.”
The bill:
- Strengthens the Special Advisor for religious freedom at the National Security Council
- Requires international religious freedom training for all Foreign Service Officers
- Requires that the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom report directly to the Secretary of State
- Elevates the position of the ambassador within the federal government
- Creates a comprehensive religious prisoners list—persons who are detained, imprisoned, tortured and subject to forced renunciation of faith
- Creates a “Designated Persons List” for individuals who commit egregious violations of religious freedom
- Creates an “Entity of Particular Concern” designation for non-state actors like terrorist groups
- Requires more frequent presidential actions to counter severe religious freedom violations globally
- Creates a “Special Watch List”—two tier system at State (CPC countries/Special Watch List)
- Sets congressional expectations for staffing of the International Religious Freedom office and expansion of Religious Freedom Program grants
Representative Eshoo is the Co-Chair of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus and together with former Congressman Frank Wolf, founded the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus in 2008.
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