I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1226 

To require reporting on acts of certain foreign countries on Holocaust era 

assets and related issues, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2017 

Mr. CROWLEY (for himself and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To require reporting on acts of certain foreign countries 

on Holocaust era assets and related issues, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for Uncompen5 sated Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORTING ON HOLOCAUST ERA ASSETS 

7 AND RELATED ISSUES. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—For covered countries, the Sec9 retary of State shall annually include within either the rel10 evant Annual Country Report on Human Rights Pracmstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with BILLS

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1 tices, the International Religious Freedom Report, or 

2 other appropriate report as determined by the Secretary, 

3 an assessment and description of the nature and extent 

4 of national laws or enforceable policies regarding the iden5 tification and the return of or restitution for wrongfully 

6 seized or transferred Holocaust era assets and compliance 

7 with or progress toward the goals and objectives of the 

8 2009 Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets and 

9 Related Issues, including— 

10 (1) the return to the rightful owner of any 

11 property, including religious or communal property, 

12 that was wrongfully seized or transferred; 

13 (2) if return of such property is no longer pos14 sible, the provision of comparable substitute property 

15 or the payment of equitable compensation to the 

16 rightful owner in accordance with principles of jus17 tice and through an expeditious claims-driven admin18 istrative process that is just, transparent, and fair; 

19 (3) the use of the Washington Conference Prin20 ciples on Nazi-Confiscated Art, agreed to December 

21 3, 1998, and the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust 

22 Assets and Related Issues, agreed to June 30, 2009, 

23 in settling all claims involving publically and pri24 vately held movable property; 

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1 (4) the restitution of heirless property to assist 

2 needy Holocaust survivors, and for other purposes; 

3 (5) the extent to which such laws and policies 

4 are implemented and enforced in practice, including 

5 through any applicable administrative or judicial 

6 processes; and 

7 (6) the mechanism for and demonstrable 

8 progress on the resolution of claims for United 

9 States citizen Holocaust survivors and United States 

10 citizen family members of Holocaust victims. 

11 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE OF INCLUSION.— 

12 (1) INCLUSION IN ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORT

13 ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES OR INTERNATIONAL

14 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT.—If the Secretary of 

15 State includes the information required under sub16 section (a) in the report required under section 

17 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

18 U.S.C. 2151n(d); commonly referred to as the ‘‘An19 nual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices’’) 

20 or the report required under section 102(b) of the 

21 International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 

22 U.S.C. 6412(b); commonly referred to as the ‘‘Inter23 national Religious Freedom Report’’), the require24 ment to include such information shall apply begin25 ning with the first such report under either Act, as 

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1 the case may be, submitted later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 (2) INCLUSION IN OTHER DEPARTMENT OF

4 STATE REPORT.—If the Secretary of State includes 

5 the information required under subsection (a) in an 

6 existing report of the Department of State other 

7 than a report described in paragraph (1), the re8 quirement to include such information shall apply 

9 beginning with the first such report submitted later 

10 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

11 this Act. 

12 (3) INCLUSION IN NEW REPORT.—If the Sec13 retary of State includes the information required 

14 under subsection (a) in a new report, the Secretary 

15 shall submit such report not later than one year 

16 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

17 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT19 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com20 mittees’’ means— 

21 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

22 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

23 of Representatives; and 

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1 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

2 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

3 Senate. 

4 (2) COVERED COUNTRIES.—The term ‘‘covered 

5 countries’’ means signatories to the Terezin Declara6 tion on Holocaust Assets and Related Issues, agreed 

7 to June 30, 2009, that are determined by the Spe8 cial Envoy for Holocaust Issues, in consultation with 

9 expert nongovernmental organizations, to be coun10 tries of particular concern relative to the issues list11 ed in subsection (a). 

12 (3) WRONGFULLY SEIZED OR TRANSFERRED.— 

13 The term ‘‘wrongfully seized or transferred’’ in14 cludes confiscations, expropriations, nationalizations, 

15 forced sales or transfers, and sales or transfers 

16 under duress during the Holocaust era or the period 

17 of Communist rule of a covered country. 

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