Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2014
Latest action · Dec 11, 2014 Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedDec 11, 2014
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2014 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include violations of religious freedom by non-state actors in the annual Department of State report to Congress on international religious freedom.
Requires the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings on specified Department and U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports concerning the status of religious freedom.
Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require Foreign Service officers to receive training about the religious demography, status of religious freedom, and U.S. strategies for advancing religious freedom in their country of posting.
Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) transmit to specified congressional committees certain lists of persons imprisoned, detained, or placed under house arrest; and (2) report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to promote the goals of religious freedom and religious engagement.
Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress after the date on which the President designates countries as a country of particular concern for religious freedom on the lack of the President's designation of Pakistan and and any other countries recommended for such designation by the Commission.
Directs the President to take specified actions in response to violations of religious freedom by non-state actors.
Authorizes certain funds for democracy programs to be used to implement innovative uses of the Internet and other electronic methods to support freedom of religion or belief abroad.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Dec 11, 2014.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Original | Dec 11, 2014 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Dec 11, 2014 |
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Dec 11, 2014 |
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Dec 11, 2014 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 11, 2014Introduced in House
- Dec 11, 2014Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H9304.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to further express United States foreign policy with respect to, and to strengthen United States advocacy on behalf of, freedom of religion or belief abroad and individuals persecuted in foreign countries on account of religion or belief, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2014
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Asia
- Congressional oversight
- Department of State
- Detention of persons
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Executive Office of the President
- Federal officials
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Human rights
- International Affairs
- International exchange and broadcasting
- International organizations and cooperation
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Pakistan
- Protest and dissent
- Religion
- Rule of law and government transparency
- Sanctions
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 11, 2014Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
