22 U.S.C. § 6473a: Designated persons list for…

Summary

The Secretary of State must create and keep a list of foreign people who were denied visas for very serious religious‑freedom abuses, or who have been hit with financial or other penalties for those abuses. The Secretary must work with the Ambassador-at-Large and consult government and non‑government experts. The list is called the “Designated Persons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Religious Freedom.” The Secretary must send a report to Congress that includes the list and, for each person, their name, a description of the serious religious‑freedom violation, where it happened, and what actions the U.S. took in response. The first report was due no later than 180 days after December 16, 2016. The Secretary must update the report every 180 days and when new information appears. The report should be unclassified but may have a classified annex. “Appropriate congressional committees” means: Senate Foreign Relations; Senate Appropriations; Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; House Foreign Affairs; House Appropriations; and House Financial Services.

Title 22, §6473a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)List

(1)In general

The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Ambassador at Large and in consultation with relevant government and nongovernment experts, shall establish and maintain a list of foreign individuals to whom a consular post has denied a visa on the grounds of particularly severe violations of religious freedom under section 1182(a)(2)(G) of title 8, or who are subject to financial sanctions or other measures for particularly severe violations of freedom religion.

(2)Reference

The list required under paragraph (1) shall be known as the “Designated Persons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Religious Freedom”.

(b)Report

(1)In general

The Secretary of State shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that contains the list required under subsection (a), including, with respect to each foreign individual on the list—

(A)the name of the individual and a description of the particularly severe violation of religious freedom committed by the individual;

(B)the name of the country or other location in which such violation took place; and

(C)a description of the actions taken pursuant to this chapter or any other Act or Executive order in response to such violation.

(2)Submission and updates

The Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees—

(A)the initial report required under paragraph (1) not later than 180 days after December 16, 2016; and

(B)updates to the report every 180 days thereafter and as new information becomes available.

(3)Form

The report required under paragraph (1) should be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex.

(4)Definition

In this subsection, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A)the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

(B)the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;

(C)the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate;

(D)the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;

(E)the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and

(F)the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b)(1)(C), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 105–292, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2787, known as the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 6401 of this title and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 605 of Pub. L. 105–292 was renumbered section 606 and is classified to section 6474 of this title.

§6473a Designated Persons List for Particularly Severe Violations of Religious Freedom