[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 137 (Monday, September 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               JUSTICE AGAINST SPONSORS OF TERRORISM ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 9, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday will mark the 15th year 
since that day our nation faced the greatest loss of life on U.S. soil 
from a terrorist attack.
  The years that have passed since that day have not dimmed my memory 
or diminished my resolve to see an end to terrorism not only in the 
United States, but around the world.
  As a Member of Congress and a senior Member of the Committees on 
Homeland Security and the Judiciary, both of which deal with national 
security issues, I have long been committed and engaged in efforts to 
develop policies that anticipate and respond to new and emerging 
challenges to the security of our nation and the peace and safety of 
the world.
  I will never forget September 11, 2001 when 2,977 men, women and 
children were murdered by 19 hijackers who took commercial aircraft and 
used them as missiles.
  I stood on the East Front steps of the Capitol on September 11, 2001, 
along with 150 members of the House of Representatives and sang ``God 
Bless America.''
  I visited the site of the World Trade Center Towers in the aftermath 
of the attacks and grieved over the deaths of so many of our men, 
women, and children.
  I want to thank and commend the work of our first responder community 
on that day and every day since September 11 for their efforts to 
protect their communities and our nation from acts of terrorism.
  Mr. Speaker, September 11, 2001 will always be remembered as a day of 
tragedy and heroism, heartbreak and courage, and shared loss.
  But the loss remains especially painful to those whose loved ones 
died or were injured by the criminal acts of terrorists on that fateful 
day.
  They remain in our thoughts and prayers and they have our sympathies.
  Mr. Speaker, this past July the Judiciary Committee, upon which I 
sit, held a hearing on S. 2040, the ``Justice Against Sponsors of 
Terrorism Act,'' at which the bill's supporters offered powerful and 
compelling testimony in favor of insuring that 9/11 families have 
access to their day in court against the parties directly and 
vicariously liable for the injuries they suffered.
  The ``Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,'' amends the Foreign 
Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 to create a new exception to the Act's 
general grant of foreign sovereign immunity.
  As the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, 
Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigation, I am committed to 
doing all that I can to ensure that they receive their day in court.
  I am sensitive, however, to the concerns raised by the Administration 
regarding unintended consequences that may result if the bill is passed 
in its current form.
  In particular, the Administration, allied nations, and others point 
out that enactment of S. 2040 in its current form may lead to 
retaliation by other countries against the United States.
  Additionally, the Administration raises the legitimate concern that 
if enacted in its current form, S. 2040 may hamper cooperation from 
other nations because they may become more reluctant to share sensitive 
intelligence out of fear that such information may be disclosed in 
litigation.
  I am confident, however, that these legitimate concerns can be 
addressed and resolved as the legislation makes its way through the 
legislative process and I look forward to working with the 
Administration and the bill's sponsors and supporters to craft 
acceptable legislation that can be presented to the President for 
signature.
  I thank the House and Senate sponsors of this important legislation, 
my colleagues Congressmen Peter King and Jerrold Nadler of New York, 
and Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Charles Schumer of New York, for 
their tireless efforts on behalf of fairness and justice for the 9/11 
families

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