Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act
Latest action · Sep 16, 2008 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
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.
- IntroducedJan 29, 2008
- Passed HouseSep 15, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act - Terminates the authority of the President to grant the government of Iraq immunity from actions by victims of terrorism seeking compensation for injuries caused by officials, employees, or agents of the government of Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War when such government was classified as a state sponsor of terrorism, unless the President certifies to Congress that Iraq has adequately settled specified claims of U.S. soldiers and civilians held in Iraq as POWs and hostages and subject to state-sponsored torture and terrorism.
Provides an exception to the termination of such authority if the President certifies that: (1) Iraq has not compensated any foreign persons or entities for claims or liabilities incurred by or under the control of the Saddam Hussein regime, including commercial or financial claims and claims for acts against individuals similar to those described above; or (2) negotiations are ongoing with Iraq to settle the American claims, and the President believes that those negotiations are being conducted in good faith and could lead to a satisfactory settlement. Limits the latter certification period to 180 days (with authorized renewals by the President).
Defines various adequate settlement amounts, depending on the victim, length of torture or detainment, etc.
Prohibits the use of any U.S. funds to pay any claim covered under this Act.
Cosponsors 38
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 29, 2008 to Sep 15, 2008; 28 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MA | Barney Frank | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-OH | Betty Sutton | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-NH | Carol Shea-Porter | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MI | Carolyn C. Kilpatrick | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-TX | Charles A. Gonzalez | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-OR | Darlene Hooley | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-CO | Ed Perlmutter | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-CA | George Miller | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-VA | James P. Moran | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-PA | Joe Sestak | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-NY | John J. Hall | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MD | John P. Sarbanes | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-FL | Kathy Castor | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-RI | Patrick J. Kennedy | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-IL | Phil Hare | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MO | Russ Carnahan | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-WI | Steve Kagen | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-MN | Timothy J. Walz | Original | Jan 29, 2008 |
| D-NY | Maurice D. Hinchey | Feb 6, 2008 | |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Feb 12, 2008 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Feb 12, 2008 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Feb 25, 2008 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Feb 26, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | Feb 27, 2008 | |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Mar 14, 2008 | |
| R-CA | Darrell Issa | Jul 30, 2008 | |
| R-VA | Virgil H. Goode Jr. | Sep 8, 2008 | |
| R-TX | Sam Johnson | Sep 15, 2008 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 29, 2008Markup Jul 30, 2008Reported Sep 15, 2008 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Feb 25, 2008Discharged Jul 28, 2008 | |
| Senate | Armed Services Committee | Referred Sep 16, 2008 |
Actions 15
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 16, 2008Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Sep 15, 2008Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 110-844.
- Sep 15, 2008Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 545.
- Sep 15, 2008Mr. Scott (VA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 15, 2008Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H8098-8103)
- Sep 15, 2008DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5167.
- Sep 15, 2008Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H8098-8100)
- Sep 15, 2008Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 15, 2008The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 30, 2008Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 30, 2008Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Jul 28, 2008Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Discharged.
- Feb 25, 2008Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Jan 29, 2008Introduced in House
- Jan 29, 2008Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S10413 | Tom Harkin D-IA | Oct 2, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H8098–H8103Text printed H8098–H8100 | Bruce L. Braley D-IA, Darrell Issa R-CA, Joe Sestak D-PA, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Sep 15, 2008 |
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.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Sep 9, 2008H.R. 5167, Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on July 30, 2008</p>
- Sep 9, 2008H.R. 5167, Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on July 30, 2008
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 110-144 | ENSURING LEGAL REDRESS FOR AMERICAN VICTIMS OF STATE-SPONSORED TERRORISM67 pages | Judiciary Committee | Jun 17, 2008 |
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 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to remove the authority of the President to waive certain provisions.
- Official Titles as Amended by House
- A bill to terminate the authority of the President to waive, with regard to Iraq, certain provisions under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 unless certain conditions are met.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Law.
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Congress
- Congress and foreign policy
- Congressional oversight
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Damages
- Government liability (International law)
- Government Operations and Politics
- International Affairs
- International claims
- Iraq
- Iraq compilation
- Law
- Middle East and North Africa
- Persian Gulf War
- President and foreign policy
- Presidential powers
- Prisoners of war
- State-sponsored terrorism
- Terrorism
- Torture
- Victims of terrorism
- War crimes
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 16, 2008Referred in Senate
- Sep 15, 2008Reported in House
- Sep 15, 2008Engrossed in House
- Jan 29, 2008Introduced 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.
