Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2017

To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for transparency of payments made from the Judgment Fund. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2017 2. Judgment fund transparency (a) Transparency requirement Section 1304 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) (1) Unless the disclosure of such information is otherwise prohibited by law or court order, the Secretary of the Treasury shall make available to the public on a website, as soon as practicable, but not later than 30 days after the date on which a payment under this section is tendered on or after January 1, 2016, the following information with regard to that payment: (A) The name of the specific agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment. (B) The name of the plaintiff or claimant. (C) The name of counsel for the plaintiff or claimant. (D) The amount paid representing principal liability, and any amounts paid representing any ancillary liability, including attorney fees, costs, and interest. (E) A brief description of the facts that gave rise to the claim. (F) The name of the agency that submitted the claim. (G) Any information available on reports generated by the Judgment Fund Payment Search administered by the Treasury Department. (2) In addition to the information described in paragraph (1), if a payment under this section is made to a foreign state on or after January 1, 2016, the Secretary of the Treasury shall make available to the public in accordance with paragraph (1), the following information with regard to that payment: (A) A description of the method of payment. (B) A description of the currency denominations used for the payment. (C) The name and location of each financial institution owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign state or an agent of a foreign state through which the payment passed or from which the payment was withdrawn, including any financial institution owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a foreign state or an agent of a foreign state that is holding the payment as of the date on which the information is made available. (3) Not later than January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury shall make available to the public on the website described in paragraph (1)— (A) the total amount paid under this section during the year preceding the date of the report; and (B) the amount paid under this section during the year preceding the date of the report— (i) for attorney fees; (ii) for interest; and (iii) for all other payments. (4) In this subsection, the term foreign state (e) Except with regard to children under eighteen, the disclosure of information required in this section shall not be considered a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy (f) No payment may be made under this section to a state sponsor of terrorism, as defined in section 1605A(h) of title 28, or to an organization that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1189 . (b) Implementation The Secretary of the Treasury shall carry out the amendment made by this section by not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. October 16, 2017 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2017 (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to disclose details regarding payments made from the Judgment Fund on or after January 1, 2016. (The Judgment Fund is a permanent and indefinite appropriation to pay judgments against the United States.) Unless the disclosure is prohibited by law or a court order, Treasury must disclose to the public on a website: the agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment, the plaintiff or claimant, the counsel for the plaintiff or claimant, the amount paid representing principal liability and any amounts paid representing any ancillary liability, a description of the facts that gave rise to the claim, the agency that submitted the claim, and any information available on reports generated by the Judgment Fund Payment Search administered by Treasury. If the payment is made to a foreign state, Treasury must also disclose: the method of payment; the currency denomination used for the payment; and the name and location of each financial institution owned or controlled by a foreign state or an agent of a foreign state through which the payment passed, from which the payment was withdrawn, or that is holding the payment. By January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, Treasury must disclose on the website: (1) the total amounts paid from the fund during the preceding year; and (2) the amounts paid during the preceding year for attorney fees, interest, and for all other payments. No payments from the fund may be made to a state sponsor of terrorism or an organization that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act.