(Sec. 2) Directs the President to appoint a Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia within the Department of State. Requires the Special Envoy to have the rank of ambassador.
(Sec. 3) Requires the Special Envoy to: (1) promote the right of religious freedom of religious minorities in the countries of the Near East and South Central Asia, denounce the violation of such right, and recommend appropriate U.S government responses to such violations; (2) monitor and combat acts of religious intolerance and incitement targeted against such religious minorities; (3) ensure that the needs of such religious minority communities are addressed, including economic and security needs directly tied to religious-based discrimination and persecution; (4) work with foreign governments of such countries to address inherently discriminatory laws; and (5) coordinate and assist in the preparation of specified reports required by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
(Sec. 4) Authorizes the Special Envoy, subject to direction by the President and the Secretary of State, to represent the United States in matters and cases relevant to religious freedom in: (1) contacts with foreign governments, intergovernmental organizations, and specialized agencies of the United Nations (U.N.), the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, and other international organizations; and (2) multilateral conferences and meetings relevant to religious freedom.
(Sec. 5) Requires the Special Envoy to give priority to programs, projects, and activities for Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to eliminate certain positions within the State Department as necessary to offset the costs of carrying out this Act.
(Sec. 7) Declares that this Act shall cease to be effective on October 1, 2018.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 301 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 301
To provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote
Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South
Central Asia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 15, 2013
Mr. Wolf (for himself, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Holt, Mr. Griffith of Virginia,
Mr. Peters of Michigan, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Duncan of
South Carolina, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote
Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South
Central Asia.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) More than 500 Baha'is in Iran have been arbitrarily
arrested since 2005. Roughly 100 Baha'is are presently
imprisoned because of their religious beliefs.
(2) In May 2010, suspected terrorists attacked two mosques
in Pakistan belonging to the Ahmaddiya minority Muslim sect,
killing at least 80 people. Ahmadis consider themselves Muslim,
but Pakistani law does not recognize them as such.
(3) Said Musa, an Afghan Christian convert, was arrested in
May 2010 on charges of apostasy, a crime which can carry the
death sentence, and was released in February 2011 only after
sustained international pressure.
(4) On October 31, 2010, gunmen laid siege on Our Lady of
Salvation Church in Baghdad, Iraq, killing at least 52 police
and worshipers, including two priests, making it the worst
massacre of Iraqi Christians since 2003.
(5) Iraq's ancient and once vibrant Christian population
that numbered an estimated 1,500,000 out of a total population
in Iraq of 30,000,000 in 2003 has been reduced by at least one
half, due in significant part to Christians fleeing the
violence.
(6) In November 2010, a Pakistani court sentenced Aasia
Bibi, a Christian mother of five, to death under the country's
blasphemy law for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
(7) Since early 2011, violent sectarian attacks targeting
Coptic Orthodox Christians and their property increased
significantly, resulting in nearly 100 deaths, mostly Coptic
Christians, surpassing the death toll of the 10 previous years
combined.
(8) In Egypt, with the ascent of the Muslim Brotherhood,
Coptic Christians, numbering roughly 8 to 10 million, are
leaving in droves.
(9) On March 2, 2011, Pakistani Federal Minorities Minister
Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of the Cabinet, who
was outspoken in his opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy laws
was assassinated by extremists.
(10) The Special Envoy for Anti-Semitism, Hannah Rosenthal,
has noted that Holocaust glorification ``is especially virulent
in Middle Eastern media, some of which is state-owned and
operated, which calls for a new Holocaust to finish the job''.
(11) In the midst of a devastating civil war, Syrian
Christians and other religious minorities, which comprise
roughly 10 percent of the population, are particularly
vulnerable lacking their own militias and regional protectors.
(12) Many of these ancient faith communities are being
forced to flee the lands which they have inhabited for
centuries.
(13) The United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom has recommended that Egypt, Tajikistan, Iran,
Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan be
designated by the Department of State as Countries of
Particular Concern in accordance with the International
Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
(14) The situation on the ground in the region continues to
develop rapidly and the United States Government needs an
individual who can respond in kind and focus on the critical
situation of religious minorities in these countries.
(15) There are historical precedents, including the Special
Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, the Special Envoy
for North Korea Human Rights Issues, and the South Sudan and
Sudan Special Envoy, for the Department of State, either as a
result of legislative mandate or initiative of the Secretary of
State, to create positions with a targeted focus on an area or
issue of recognized import.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL ENVOY TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS
MINORITIES IN THE NEAR EAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ASIA.
(a) Appointment.--The President shall appoint a Special Envoy to
Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and
South Central Asia (in this Act referred to as the ``Special Envoy'')
within the Department of State.
(b) Qualifications.--The Special Envoy should be a person of
recognized distinction in the field of human rights and religious
freedom and with expertise in the Near East and South Central Asia
regions. The Special Envoy shall have the rank of ambassador and shall
hold the office at the pleasure of the President.
(c) Prohibition.--The person appointed as Special Envoy may not
hold any other position of Federal employment for the period of time
during which the person holds the position of Special Envoy.
SEC. 3. DUTIES.
(a) In General.--The Special Envoy shall carry out the following
duties:
(1) Promote the right of religious freedom of religious
minorities in the countries of the Near East and the countries
of South Central Asia, denounce the violation of such right,
and recommend appropriate responses by the United States
Government when such right is violated.
(2) Monitor and combat acts of religious intolerance and
incitement targeted against religious minorities in the
countries of the Near East and the countries of South Central
Asia.
(3) Work to ensure that the unique needs of religious
minority communities in the countries of the Near East and the
countries of South Central Asia are addressed, including the
economic and security needs of such communities to the extent
that such needs are directly tied to religious-based
discrimination and persecution.
(4) Work with foreign governments of the countries of the
Near East and the countries of South Central Asia to address
laws that are inherently discriminatory toward religious
minority communities in such countries.
(5) Coordinate and assist in the preparation of that
portion of the report required by sections 116(d) and 502B(b)
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d) and
2304(b)) relating to the nature and extent of religious freedom
of religious minorities in the countries of the Near East and
the countries of South Central Asia.
(6) Coordinate and assist in the preparation of that
portion of the report required by section 102(b) of the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b))
relating to the nature and extent of religious freedom of
religious minorities in the countries of the Near East and the
countries of South Central Asia.
(b) Coordination.--In carrying out the duties under subsection (a),
the Special Envoy shall, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate
with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the Department
of State, the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom,
the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and
other relevant Federal agencies and officials.
SEC. 4. DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION.
Subject to the direction of the President and the Secretary of
State, the Special Envoy is authorized to represent the United States
in matters and cases relevant to religious freedom in the countries of
the Near East and the countries of South Central Asia in--
(1) contacts with foreign governments, intergovernmental
organizations, and specialized agencies of the United Nations,
the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, and
other international organizations of which the United States is
a member; and
(2) multilateral conferences and meetings relevant to
religious freedom in the countries of the Near East and the
countries of South Central Asia.
SEC. 5. PRIORITY COUNTRIES AND CONSULTATION.
(a) Priority Countries.--In carrying out this Act, the Special
Envoy shall give priority to programs, projects, and activities for
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
(b) Consultation.--The Special Envoy shall consult with domestic
and international nongovernmental organizations and multilateral
organizations and institutions, as the Special Envoy considers
appropriate to fulfill the purposes of this Act.
SEC. 6. FUNDING.
(a) In General.--Of the amounts made available for ``Diplomatic and
Consular Programs'' for fiscal years 2014 through 2018, $1,000,000 is
authorized to be appropriated for each such fiscal year to carry out
the provisions of this Act.
(b) Funding Offset.--To offset the costs to be incurred by the
Department of State to carry out the provisions of this Act for fiscal
years 2014 through 2018, the Secretary of State shall eliminate such
positions within the Department of State, unless otherwise authorized
or required by law, as the Secretary determines to be necessary to
fully offset such costs.
(c) Limitation.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated for ``Diplomatic and Consular Programs'' to carry out the
provisions of this Act.
SEC. 7. SUNSET.
This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on October 1, 2018.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E31)
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa.
Mr. Royce moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5564-5567)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 301.
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5606)
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Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 402 - 22 (Roll no. 465).(text: CR 9/17/2013 H5564-5565)
Roll Call #465 (House)On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 402 - 22 (Roll no. 465). (text: CR 9/17/2013 H5564-5565)
Roll Call #465 (House)Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.