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.

Introduced:
Jan 15, 2013 (113th Congress, 2013–2015)
Sponsor:
Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA10]
Status:
Referred to Committee

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was assigned to a congressional committee on January 15, 2013, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.

Progress
Introduced Jan 15, 2013
Referred to Committee Jan 15, 2013
Reported by Committee ...
Passed House ...
Passed Senate ...
Signed by the President ...
Prognosis

69% chance of getting past committee.
15% chance of being enacted.

Only 11% of House bills made it past committee and only 3% were enacted in 2011–2013. [show factors | methodology]

Cosponsors
46 cosponsors (28R, 18D) (show)
Committees

House Foreign Affairs

↪ Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

↪ Asia and the Pacific

↪ The Middle East and North Africa

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Jan 15, 2013.
9 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

1/15/2013--Introduced.
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:
(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.
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.
Requires the Special Envoy to give priority to programs, projects, and activities for Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Declares that this Act shall cease to be effective on October 1, 2018.

House Republican Conference Summary

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No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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