[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 565 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 565

 To extend the time for filing certain claims under the September 11th 
       Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 2, 2005

  Mrs. Maloney (for herself, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mr. 
 Owens, Mrs. McCarthy, and Mr. Serrano) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To extend the time for filing certain claims under the September 11th 
       Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Victim Compensation Fund Extension 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 was 
        established to provide compensation to individuals (or 
        relatives of deceased individuals) who were physically injured 
        or killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes 
        of September 11, 2001.
            (2) The deadline for filing claims for compensation under 
        the Victim Compensation Fund was December 22, 2003.
            (3) Some individuals did not know they were eligible to 
        file claims for compensation or did not know they had suffered 
        physical harm as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft 
        crashes until after the December 22, 2003, deadline.

SEC. 3. DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR CERTAIN CLAIMS UNDER SEPTEMBER 11TH 
              VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND OF 2001.

    Section 405(a)(3) of the Air Transportation Safety and System 
Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(3) Limitation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B), no claim may be filed under paragraph 
                (1) after December 22, 2003.
                    ``(B) Exceptions.--A claim may be filed under 
                paragraph (1)--
                            ``(i) during the 3-year period after the 
                        date of the enactment of this subparagraph, if 
                        the Special Master determines that the 
                        claimant--
                                    ``(I) did not know that the 
                                claimant had suffered physical harm as 
                                a result of the terrorist-related 
                                aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, 
                                until after December 22, 2003, and 
                                before the date of the enactment of 
                                this subparagraph; or
                                    ``(II) did not for any reason other 
                                than as described in subclause (I) know 
                                that the claimant was eligible to file 
                                a claim under paragraph (1) until after 
                                December 22, 2003; and
                            ``(ii) during the 3-year period after the 
                        date that the claimant first knew that the 
                        claimant had suffered physical harm as a result 
                        of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of 
                        September 11, 2001, if the Special Master 
                        determines that the claimant did not know that 
                        the claimant had suffered physical harm as a 
                        result of the crashes until a date that is on 
                        or after the date of the enactment of this 
                        subparagraph.''.

SEC. 4. IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH DEFINED.

    Section 402 of the Air Transportation Safety and System 
Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph:
            ``(9) Immediate aftermath.--In section 405(c)(2)(A)(i), the 
        term `immediate aftermath' means any period of time after the 
        terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, as 
        determined by the Special Master, that was sufficiently close 
        in time to the crashes that there was a demonstrable risk to 
        the claimant of physical harm resulting from the crashes.''.
                                 <all>