Malliotakis Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Correct U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Today Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) joined Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Dan Goldman (D-NY), in introducing the American Victims of Terror Compensation Act, bipartisan legislation that would correct the structure of the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism (USVSST) Fund to ensure the widows, children and family members of victims of state sponsored terrorism continue to receive the funding they deserve.

Specifically, the legislation would provide for an immediate distribution in 2024 from the USVSST Fund, expand the Fund's personnel from five to ten people, and require an annual pay out from the USVSST Fund to its participants along with an annual report to Congress and a GAO report on quality of administration and recommendations every three years.

"The USVSST Fund has failed to operate as Congress originally intended, leading to repeated frustration and heartbreak for victims of state sponsored terrorism," said Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11). "I am proud to continue my work on behalf of victims of terrorism by cosponsoring this legislation, and although financial compensation cannot bring their loved ones back, families in my district and across the country can begin to rebuild their lives with the funds they are entitled to through their judgments. In 2022 I worked tirelessly to draft and pass the Lump Sum Catch Up Payment, an effort to compensate widows and children of 9/11 who had been unfairly excluded from the fund in prior years, that successfully became law with bipartisan support. Now, our American Victims of Terror Compensation Act will fulfill Congress' promise to "Never Forget,” and solidify our nation’s support for those who have been scarred by horrific acts of terrorism against our country."

"The current structure of the USVSST Fund has left it in need of these crucial corrections to ensure additional funding for years to come," said Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17). "The American Victims of Terror Compensation Act will help set this right and help families in the 17th District and across the country. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral legislation which will ensure that families of victims of state sponsored terrorism continue to receive the funding they deserve. What we cannot do as a Congress is let this fund run dry and leave rightful victims without sufficient support - the American Victims of Terror Compensation Act will ensure it doesn’t."

"We must always strive to provide justice for the American families who have been victim to state-sponsored terrorism," said Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10). "As the Representative for Lower Manhattan – which was forever changed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks – I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to do just that. It is incumbent on Congress to ensure that our families who were impacted by terrorism never lose the support provided by the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund."

Angela Mistrulli, who lost her father in the 9/11 attacks, and Clayton Zook, an Air Force veteran injured in the Khobar Towers attack, issued the following statement on behalf of the American victims of terrorism community:

"We are incredibly grateful to Reps. Lawler, Gottheimer, Malliotakis, Goldman, and all of the original cosponsors of this bill for their leadership and commitment to delivering justice. We are a coalition of thousands of American victims who were injured, killed, or lost loved ones as a result of state sponsored terrorism. Many of us were serving our country when attacked; others were simply going about their daily lives. We all have one thing in common: an act of terror left our lives irreparably changed. For years, we have felt as though the tragedies we suffered were forgotten or overlooked–we felt that the justice Congress promised us was falling out of reach. Justice for the victims of state sponsored terror has not come easy, but Reps. Lawler, Gottheimer, Goldman, and Malliotakis are now showing it is possible. Some of us have waited decades, and too many have been lost waiting for justice to be served. We urge all members to act now by joining this critical step to make sure Congress’s promise is fulfilled."

WATCH THE INTRODUCTION PRESS CONFERENCE HERE

BACKGROUND:

The USVSST Fund, which was established in 2015, provides compensation to individuals (or personal representatives of deceased individuals) who hold a final judgment issued by a U.S. District Court awarding the individual compensatory damages. The judgment must arise from acts of international terrorism for which a foreign state sponsor of terrorism was found not immune from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). Individuals must submit applications not later than 90 days after the date of obtaining the final judgment.

The American Victims of Terror Compensation Act will benefit all United States victims of state-sponsored terrorism in the USSVST Fund equally, and does not favor or prioritize any particular group. The victims who will benefit include, among many others, victims of the:

• October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks and January 2024 attack on U.S. troops in Jordan.
• IED attacks on U.S. military in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq
• 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice, France
• 9/11 terrorist attacks
• 2000 U.S.S. Cole attack
• 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania
• 1996 Khobar Towers military housing complex bombing
• 1985 TWA Flight 847 hijacking
• U.S. Embassy and Embassy Annex bombings in Beirut in 1983 and 1984
• 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks bombing
• 1979 Iranian hostage crisis
• 1968 U.S.S. Pueblo Attack

To learn more about the USVSST, click HERE.