Congress extends religious freedom watchdog through 2028
H.R. 1744 — United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2026 · Filed by Chris Smith (R-NJ) · 11 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 27, 2025 · Passed both chambers
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What it does
This bill extends the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) — a federal agency that monitors religious freedom violations worldwide — by authorizing appropriations through 2028 and extending its statutory authorization deadline from September 2026 to December 2028. The bill does not change USCIRF's mission, powers, or structure; it simply keeps the agency funded and legally operational beyond its current expiration date.
Why we flagged it
This is a routine legislative reauthorization — it extends the statutory life and appropriations authority of an existing federal agency without substantive policy change. The bill's sole function is to prevent a lapse in USCIRF's legal authorization and funding.
Who it affects
Citizens benefit from continuity of a federal agency dedicated to monitoring and reporting on religious freedom violations globally, which informs U.S. foreign policy and advocacy. The extension prevents a lapse in operations that would disrupt the agency's monitoring, reporting, and diplomatic functions.
Named in the bill
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Where it stands
11 cosponsors: 6 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
- Feb 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 27, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Senate Committee on Foreign Relations · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs”
- Mar 26, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Mar 26, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 45 - 0”
- Jun 8, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3947)”
- Jun 8, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Mast moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
- Sep 29, 2026 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5186)”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (690 characters) on Jul 2, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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