I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 565

To extend the time for filing certain claims under the September 11th Victim 

Compensation Fund of 2001, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2005

Mrs. MALONEY (for herself, Mr. NADLER, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. 

OWENS, Mrs. MCCARTHY, and Mr. SERRANO) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL

To extend the time for filing certain claims under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, 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 ‘‘Victim Compensation 

5 Fund Extension Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The September 11th Victim Compensation 

9 Fund of 2001 was established to provide compensa-
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1 tion to individuals (or relatives of deceased individ2 uals) who were physically injured or killed as a re3 sult of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of Sep4 tember 11, 2001. 

5 (2) The deadline for filing claims for compensa6 tion under the Victim Compensation Fund was De7 cember 22, 2003. 

8 (3) Some individuals did not know they were el9 igible to file claims for compensation or did not 

10 know they had suffered physical harm as a result of 

11 the terrorist-related aircraft crashes until after the 

12 December 22, 2003, deadline. 

13 SEC. 3. DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR CERTAIN CLAIMS 

14 UNDER SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSA15 TION FUND OF 2001. 

16 Section 405(a)(3) of the Air Transportation Safety 

17 and System Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is 

18 amended to read as follows: 

19 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

21 subparagraph (B), no claim may be filed under 

22 paragraph (1) after December 22, 2003. 

23 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—A claim may be filed 

24 under paragraph (1)—
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1 ‘‘(i) during the 3-year period after the 

2 date of the enactment of this subpara3 graph, if the Special Master determines 

4 that the claimant—

5 ‘‘(I) did not know that the claim6 ant had suffered physical harm as a 

7 result of the terrorist-related aircraft 

8 crashes of September 11, 2001, until 

9 after December 22, 2003, and before 

10 the date of the enactment of this sub11 paragraph; or 

12 ‘‘(II) did not for any reason 

13 other than as described in subclause 

14 (I) know that the claimant was eligi15 ble to file a claim under paragraph 

16 (1) until after December 22, 2003; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(ii) during the 3-year period after 

19 the date that the claimant first knew that 

20 the claimant had suffered physical harm as 

21 a result of the terrorist-related aircraft 

22 crashes of September 11, 2001, if the Spe23 cial Master determines that the claimant 

24 did not know that the claimant had suf25 fered physical harm as a result of the 
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1 crashes until a date that is on or after the 

2 date of the enactment of this subpara3 graph.’’. 

4 SEC. 4. IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH DEFINED. 

5 Section 402 of the Air Transportation Safety and 

6 System Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is 

7 amended by adding at the end the following new para8 graph: 

9 ‘‘(9) IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH.—In section 

10 405(c)(2)(A)(i), the term ‘immediate aftermath’ 

11 means any period of time after the terrorist-related 

12 aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, as deter13 mined by the Special Master, that was sufficiently 

14 close in time to the crashes that there was a demon15 strable risk to the claimant of physical harm result16 ing from the crashes.’’.

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