United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
The reported bill extends the operating authorization for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. It updates the International Religious Freedom Act's authorization years to 2026 through 2028 and moves the Commission's termination date from September 30, 2026 to December 31, 2028. The final committee text therefore adds twenty-seven months of legal continuity. It does not alter the Commission's membership structure, investigative mandate, reporting role, or appointment process, and it does not itself appropriate funds.
Who Benefits and How
USCIRF commissioners and staff benefit from continued statutory authority to investigate abuses, conduct hearings, and issue recommendations through 2028. Religious minorities and prisoners of conscience abroad may receive continued visibility and policy advocacy. Congressional foreign-affairs committees gain independent findings for oversight and legislation.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers must fund any continued Commission operations through later appropriations, while USCIRF staff are required to sustain research, travel, hearings, and reports. State Department religious-freedom officials must continue responding to the Commission's recommendations and congressional oversight through the extended period.
Key Provisions
- Extends USCIRF authorization language to cover 2026 through 2028.
- Extends the Commission's statutory sunset from September 30, 2026 to December 31, 2028.
- Preserves the existing mission and structure without providing a direct appropriation.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reauthorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and extends its statutory sunset through December 31, 2028.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Affairs, Religious Freedom, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Reauthorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and extends its statutory sunset through December 31, 2028.
Policy Domains
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2026
Identified Gains
- USCIRF commissioners
- USCIRF staff
- Religious minorities abroad
- Prisoners of conscience
- Congressional foreign-affairs committees
Identified Costs
- Federal taxpayers
- USCIRF research staff
- State Department religious-freedom officials
- Congressional oversight staff
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedPlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. …
Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Risch with an …
Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduced in Senate
Mr. Budd (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal legislative records staff, State Department religious-freedom officials, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Positive-direction: United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Negative-direction: State Department religious-freedom officials
Prisoners of conscience, Religious minorities abroad, Taxpayers
Positive-direction: Prisoners of conscience, Religious minorities abroad
Negative-direction: Taxpayers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "congress"
- → Congressional foreign-affairs committees
- "commission"
- → United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
- "affected_public"
- → Religious minorities and prisoners of conscience abroad
- "state_department"
- → Department of State
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology