Sponsors (73)
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Strikes item (bb) in subsection (d)(4)(D)(iv)(IV) of 34 U.S.C. 20144 and inserts new text in its place.
Replaces subparagraph (B) of 34 U.S.C. 20144(b)(1) to set the Special Master's allowable use of Department of Justice personnel to no more than 10 full-time equivalent DOJ personnel and specifies that any costs associated with such personnel and other administrative costs shall be paid from the Fund.
Strikes subparagraph (A) of 34 U.S.C. 20144(d)(4) and inserts new text establishing an annual schedule (beginning January 1, 2026 and each January 1 thereafter) for the Special Master or Attorney General to authorize pro rata additional payments to eligible claimants, to include amounts received by any U.S. agency that may be deposited or transferred into the Fund plus interest, excluding amounts required for administrative costs or compensation under subsection (b)(1)(B) and (C); requires distribution as soon as practicable in the calendar year of authorization or, if authorized prior to January 1, within 1 year of authorization.
Speeds up and regularizes payments to eligible Americans harmed by state‑sponsored terrorism, and directs more money from fines, penalties, and forfeitures into the two main victim funds. It sets clear deposit and transfer rules (including timing and interest), protects court‑ordered restitution and prior equitable‑sharing rights, and requires public reporting and independent oversight. Beginning in 2026, it authorizes annual pro‑rata distributions from the terrorism victims fund and lets the Special Master use up to 10 Department of Justice staff paid from the fund to process claims. It also adds GAO reviews and a public annual report. One small technical edit appears in the text but shows no visible substantive change based on the provided language.
Amends Section 404 of the Justice for United States Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Act (34 U.S.C. 20144).
Adds subsection (d)(4)(E) (titled "Fifth-round payments") requiring that all fifth-round payments authorized by the Special Master on or before January 1, 2025, be distributed to eligible claimants not later than March 14, 2025, or as soon as practicable after the Special Master receives the claimant's payment information if that information was not provided earlier.
Adds subsection (e)(2)(C) creating rules for certain assigned and forfeited assets to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund.
Requires the deposit of $1,505,475,575 (from the funds and net proceeds from sale of property paid to the United States arising from or in connection with certain proceedings) into the Crime Victims Fund established under section 1402 of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20101).
Directs that an agency of the United States shall deposit or transfer into the Crime Victims Fund any amount paid by a defendant that is required to be deposited pursuant to the provision, plus any interest earned thereon, not later than the later of the dates specified in the section. (The section text sets timing rules; the deposit requirement and inclusion of interest are explicit.)
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced February 24, 2025 by Michael Lawler · Last progress February 24, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House