A last-minute vote on Friday (Dec. 16) has reauthorized the 13 year old USCIRF for 3 years.
The USCIRF was created by Congress when it passed the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). Established as an independent, bipartisan, federal government entity, USCIRF monitors the status of freedom of religion or belief abroad and provides policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
With nine commissioners, a staff of 17 and a $4 million annual budget, the bill had been held up in the Senate for almost four months before passing with an amendment on Tuesday, culminating with the reauthorizing resolution by voice vote on Friday.
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who had reportedly held the bill as leverage in a dispute over federal funding for a prison in his state, proposed several tweaks to the re-authorization bill.
Durbin's amendment will limit the appointment of USCIRF's commissioners to a maximum of two, two-year terms. The term of any current commissioner who has served at least two full terms will expire 90 days after the legislation is enacted, virtually eliminating almost all of the current commissioners.
Leaders from both parties in Congress and the president appoint members to the commission.
The bill cuts the USCIRF’s budget from $4 million to $3 million and also places the commissioners under the same travel restrictions as State Department employees, which could possibly limit their ability to travel to certain areas where religious freedom abuses are acute.
The amendment also authorizes USCIRF employees who have filed a discrimination complaint against the commission to complete the proceedings.
This last measure may be a nod to a former agency policy analyst, Safiya Ghori-Ahmad, who filed a complaint against USCIRF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in fall 2009. She charged that her contract was cancelled because of her Muslim faith and her affiliation with the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Source: Huffington Post and Christian Post
The USCIRF was created by Congress when it passed the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). Established as an independent, bipartisan, federal government entity, USCIRF monitors the status of freedom of religion or belief abroad and provides policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
With nine commissioners, a staff of 17 and a $4 million annual budget, the bill had been held up in the Senate for almost four months before passing with an amendment on Tuesday, culminating with the reauthorizing resolution by voice vote on Friday.
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who had reportedly held the bill as leverage in a dispute over federal funding for a prison in his state, proposed several tweaks to the re-authorization bill.
Durbin's amendment will limit the appointment of USCIRF's commissioners to a maximum of two, two-year terms. The term of any current commissioner who has served at least two full terms will expire 90 days after the legislation is enacted, virtually eliminating almost all of the current commissioners.
Leaders from both parties in Congress and the president appoint members to the commission.
The bill cuts the USCIRF’s budget from $4 million to $3 million and also places the commissioners under the same travel restrictions as State Department employees, which could possibly limit their ability to travel to certain areas where religious freedom abuses are acute.
The amendment also authorizes USCIRF employees who have filed a discrimination complaint against the commission to complete the proceedings.
This last measure may be a nod to a former agency policy analyst, Safiya Ghori-Ahmad, who filed a complaint against USCIRF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in fall 2009. She charged that her contract was cancelled because of her Muslim faith and her affiliation with the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
Source: Huffington Post and Christian Post
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