[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7950]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      JUSTICE FOR UNCOMPENSATED SURVIVORS TODAY (JUST) ACT OF 2017

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 274, S. 447.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the bill by 
title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 447) to require reporting on acts of certain 
     foreign countries on Holocaust era assets and related issues.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with 
an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Justice for Uncompensated 
     Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. REPORT ON HOLOCAUST ERA ASSETS AND RELATED ISSUES.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
       (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (2) Covered countries.--The term ``covered countries'' 
     means participants in the 2009 Holocaust Era Assets 
     Conference that are determined by the Secretary of State, or 
     the Secretary's designee, in consultation with expert 
     nongovernmental organizations, to be countries of particular 
     concern relative to the issues listed in subsection (b).
       (3) Wrongfully seized or transferred.--The term 
     ``wrongfully seized or transferred'' includes confiscations, 
     expropriations, nationalizations, forced sales or transfers, 
     and sales or transfers under duress during the Holocaust era 
     or the period of Communist rule of a covered country.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a 
     report to the appropriate congressional committees that 
     assesses and describes the nature and extent of national laws 
     and enforceable policies of covered countries regarding the 
     identification and the return of or restitution for 
     wrongfully seized or transferred Holocaust era assets 
     consistent with, and evaluated with respect to, the goals and 
     objectives of the 2009 Holocaust Era Assets Conference, 
     including--
       (1) the return to the rightful owner of any property, 
     including religious or communal property, that was wrongfully 
     seized or transferred;
       (2) if return of any property described in paragraph (1) is 
     no longer possible, the provision of comparable substitute 
     property or the payment of equitable compensation to the 
     rightful owner in accordance with principles of justice and 
     through an expeditious claims-driven administrative process 
     that is just, transparent, and fair;
       (3) in the case of heirless property, the provision of 
     property or compensation to assist needy Holocaust survivors, 
     to support Holocaust education, and for other purposes;
       (4) the extent to which such laws and policies are 
     implemented and enforced in practice, including through any 
     applicable administrative or judicial processes; and
       (5) to the extent practicable, the mechanism for and an 
     overview of progress toward the resolution of claims for 
     United States citizen Holocaust survivors and United States 
     citizen family members of Holocaust victims.
       (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     after the submission of the report described in subsection 
     (b), the Secretary of State should continue to report to 
     Congress on Holocaust era assets and related issues in a 
     manner that is consistent with the manner in which the 
     Department of State reported on such matters before the date 
     of the enactment of the Act.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that 
the committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider 
be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action 
or debate.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was 
agreed to.
  The bill (S. 447), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.

                          ____________________