[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4025 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4025

  To provide for justice and compensation for United States citizens 
             taken hostage by Iran, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 4, 2009

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself and Mr. Sherman) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in 
   addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for justice and compensation for United States citizens 
             taken hostage by Iran, 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. STATEMENTS OF POLICY.

    (a) Pursuit of Justice and Accountability.--It is the policy of the 
United States, as specified in the Antiterrorism and Effective Death 
Penalty Act of 1996 and in other United States laws, to seek justice 
for United States victims of terrorism and to hold terrorists and their 
state-sponsors accountable for their actions.
    (b) Preemption.--United States law regarding victims of terrorism 
supersedes the Algiers Accords and any other agreement with Iran 
stemming from the holding of United States hostages in Iran from 
November 4, 1979, through January 20, 1981.

SEC. 2. JUSTICE AND COMPENSATION FOR UNITED STATES CITIZENS TAKEN 
              HOSTAGE BY IRAN ON NOVEMBER 4, 1979.

    (a) Inapplicability of Algiers Accords.--Any provision of the 
Algiers Accords, entered into with Iran on January 19, 1981, that 
purports to prohibit a United States citizen from prosecuting any claim 
(relating to the taking of United States citizens hostage in Iran on 
November 4, 1979) in any court of the United States or to limit the 
jurisdiction of any court (with respect to such matter) of the United 
States is hereby abrogated and deemed not applicable.
    (b) Payments.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall direct payments in 
accordance with subsection (c) to a common fund to be established and 
administered by certified class representatives for United States 
citizens who were hostages in Iran (as identified in case number 
1:00CV03110 (EGS) of the United States District Court for the District 
of Columbia). Such common fund shall make payments in accordance with 
subsection (b) for the benefit of such United States citizens.
    (c) Amounts.--Compensation from the common fund shall be paid as 
follows:
            (1) For each former hostage identified in such case number 
        1:00CV031110 (EGS) of the United States District Court for the 
        District of Columbia, $1,000 for each day of captivity.
            (2) For each spouse and child of a hostage referred to in 
        paragraph (1), or the estate of such hostage if deceased, 
        including those spouses and children identified as a class 
        member, $500 for each day of captivity of the former hostage.
            (3) Interest calculated at 9 percent, representing the 
        annual average of the daily prime rate from the date of taking 
        of a hostage who is receiving compensation under this section 
        to the date of payment, compounded annually, for the period 
        from the date of such taking until the date of payment under 
        such subsection.
    (d) Funding.--Payments to the common fund (sufficient to cover the 
compensation paid in accordance with subsection (b)) shall be made in 
the following order:
            (1) Amounts in the Iran Foreign Military Sales Program 
        account, in its entirety.
            (2) Blocked assets of terrorist parties, as such term is 
        defined in section 201(d)(2) of the Terrorism Risk Insurance 
        Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-297; 28 U.S.C. 1610 note).
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