[115th Congress Public Law 171]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 132 STAT. 1288]]

Public Law 115-171
115th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To require reporting on acts of certain foreign countries on Holocaust 
    era assets and related issues. <<NOTE: May 9, 2018 -  [S. 447]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Justice for 
Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017.>> 
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

[[Page 132 STAT. 1289]]

        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.

    Approved May 9, 2018.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 447:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 163 (2017):
                                    Dec. 12, considered and passed 
                                        Senate.
                                                        Vol. 164 (2018):
                                    Apr. 24, considered and passed 
                                        House.

                                  <all>