The United States’ watchdog for worldwide religious freedom gained reauthorization from Congress Friday on what could have been its final day of existence. The House of Representatives approved by voice vote a bill to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for three more years.

The House action came three days after the Senate approved the same legislation Dec. 13 by unanimous consent.

The good news for religious liberty advocates did not come without some disappointments for many of their number. The bill limits commissioners to two, two-year terms. That restriction will require seven of the nine current commissioners to leave the panel in 90 days. In addition, USCIRF’s yearly budget will drop from more than $4 million to $3 million.

Richard Land — one of USCIRF’s commissioners and a Southern Baptist religious freedom advocate — said he was “delighted and relieved” that Congress had reauthorized the panel.

USCIRF’s closure “would have been tragic for the cause of religious freedom and human rights around the world,” said Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. “USCIRF has been so successful in highlighting these issues that other countries have imitated the United States and started similar commissions of their own. How ironic would it have been for the United States to allow its commission to lapse?

“My only regret is the legislation does not allow for at least one or two of the current commissioners who have years of experience to continue to serve for at least one more term to provide institutional memory to the commission,” he said.

In a written statement, Rep. Frank Wolf, R.-Va., did not criticize the term-limit measure added to the House bill he sponsored. Instead, he applauded Congress’ reauthorization of a panel whose work he described as “of the utmost importance.”

USCIRF “speaks plainly about religious freedom abuses wherever they occur in ways that the State Department can rarely muster, during Republican and Democrat administrations alike,” Wolf said in a written statement.

“[T]oday’s reauthorization sends a clear message to repressive regimes around the globe that international religious freedom is a U.S. foreign policy priority.”

Land — who has served on USCIRF for more than a decade, minus a nearly one-year absence — is one of the seven commissioners who will have to leave the panel within 90 days.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on Baptist Press—however, the link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]