[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 166 (Tuesday, October 30, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S13574]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS FOR SEPTEMBER 11 VICTIMS ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, in the days following the terrorist attacks 
of September 11, Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle came 
together to pass comprehensive legislation entitled ``The Air 
Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act.'' This measure 
provided victims the option of filing a claim with a national 
compensation program or seeking limited damages in one Federal district 
court--the United States District Court for the Southern District of 
New York. Unfortunately, the legislation we passed failed to grant that 
trial court with the power to serve and enforce subpoenas outside of 
the traditional 100-mile radius of the Southern District of New York, 
even in the very cities where the hijacked flights originated and where 
two of them crashed on the morning of September 11.
  We were able to pass a legislative fix to this problem recently in 
the Senate. I understand that the House of Representatives is poised to 
pass the Senate bill today. I praise my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle and in both Chambers for acting to provide nationwide service of 
subpoenas for the September 11 victims. Although no amount of 
compensation can replace a lost loved one, the Procedural Fairness for 
September 11 Victims Act offers a technical fix that is crucial to 
allowing victims and their families to have their claims fairly and 
thoroughly heard in court. I urge the President to sign this 
legislation into law without delay.

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