To amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify that persons may bring private rights of actions against foreign states for certain terrorist acts, and for other purposes.
Latest action · Apr 4, 2005 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 16, 2005
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) to require that a foreign state designated as a state sponsor of terrorism under specified laws, or an official, employee, or agent of such a foreign state, shall be liable to a U.S. national for the national's personal injury or death caused by acts of that state or official, employee, or agent acting within the scope of his or her duties.
Provides that the removal of a foreign state from designation as a state sponsor of terrorism shall not terminate such a cause of action arising during the period of designation.
Authorizes U.S. courts to exercise jurisdiction over such actions for money damages under an FSIA provision concerning acts of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, hostage taking, and material support for such acts. Mandates that property interests of foreign states, or agencies or instrumentalities of foreign states, against which judgment is entered pursuant to such provision are subject to attachment execution.
Requires foreign states to be held vicariously liable for the actions of their officials, employees, or agents.
Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VCA) to modify the definition of "victim" for purposes of compensation under that Act. Requires the transfer of VCA funds to carry out an order appointing Special Masters in the matter of Peterson, et al. v. The Islamic Republic of Iran.
Revives previously dismissed causes of action that would be cognizable under this Act by retroactively tolling the applicable statute of limitations from the date of initial filing to 60 days after enactment of this Act.
Cosponsors 41
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 16, 2005 to Sep 6, 2006; 11 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Anthony D. Weiner | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| D-NC | Bob Etheridge | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| R-NC | Howard Coble | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| R-FL | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| D-RI | James R. Langevin | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| R-VA | Jo Ann Davis | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| R-IN | John N. Hostettler | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| R-PR | Luis G. Fortuno | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| D-NJ | Robert E. Andrews | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Original | Feb 16, 2005 |
| D-CA | Howard L. Berman | Mar 3, 2005 | |
| R-MI | Thaddeus G. McCotter | Apr 5, 2005 | |
| R-NY | John M. McHugh | Apr 12, 2005 | |
| D-NC | Mike McIntyre | Apr 12, 2005 | |
| D-GA | Jim Marshall | May 23, 2005 | |
| D-PA | Michael F. Doyle | May 26, 2005 | |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | May 26, 2005 | |
| R-FL | Adam H. Putnam | Jun 7, 2005 | |
| R-NC | Robin Hayes | Jun 15, 2005 | |
| R-VA | Eric Cantor | Jun 22, 2005 | |
| D-NC | G. K. Butterfield | Jul 18, 2005 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Jul 18, 2005 | |
| D-PA | Allyson Y. Schwartz | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| R-PA | Michael G. Fitzpatrick | Sep 6, 2005 | |
| R-LA | Bobby Jindal | Sep 22, 2005 | |
| R-CO | Thomas G. Tancredo | Feb 28, 2006 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Mar 14, 2006 | |
| R-PA | Jim Gerlach | Mar 28, 2006 | |
| D-AL | Artur Davis | Mar 29, 2006 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Apr 4, 2006 | |
| D-CA | Bob Filner | Apr 4, 2006 | |
| D-NV | Shelley Berkley | Apr 27, 2006 | |
| R-IL | Timothy V. Johnson | Apr 27, 2006 | |
| R-NY | James T. Walsh | May 9, 2006 | |
| R-VA | Tom Davis | May 9, 2006 | |
| D-NC | David E. Price | May 18, 2006 | |
| D-LA | William J. Jefferson | May 18, 2006 | |
| R-SC | Bob Inglis | Jun 13, 2006 | |
| R-NV | Jim Gibbons | Jun 26, 2006 | |
| D-NY | Joseph Crowley | Sep 6, 2006 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Feb 16, 2005 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Apr 4, 2005 | |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Apr 4, 2005 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 4, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims.
- Apr 4, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Feb 16, 2005Introduced in House
- Feb 16, 2005Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL31258 | Suits Against Terrorist States by Victims of Terrorism Archived | Report | Aug 8, 2008 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1257 | A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify that persons may bring private rights of actions against foreign states for certain terrorist acts, and for other purposes. | Related bill | Jun 16, 2005 |
Titles 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify that persons may bring private rights of actions against foreign states for certain terrorist acts, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Appellate procedure
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Bombings
- Civil actions and liability
- Claims
- Compensation for victims of crime
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Damages
- Finance and Financial Sector
- Foreign agents
- Foreign leaders
- Government liability (International law)
- Government Operations and Politics
- International Affairs
- Iran
- Jurisdiction
- Law
- Lebanon
- Liens
- Marines
- Middle East and North Africa
- Peacekeeping forces
- Punitive damages
- State-sponsored terrorism
- Terrorism
- Torts
- Victims of terrorism
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 16, 2005Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.