Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for Former 
American Hostages in Iran Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN IRAN COMPENSATION 
FUND. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that ensuring justice for United States victims of 
acts of terrorism by Iran who hold legal judgments against 
Iran, and for those who have been denied access to such 
judgments, is of paramount importance and should be ex-
peditiously addressed. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury a fund, to be known as the ‘‘American Hostages 
in Iran Compensation Fund’’ (in this section referred to 
as the ‘‘Fund’’), for the purposes of— 
(1) making payments to the Americans held 
hostage in Iran and their immediate family mem-
bers, who are identified as members of the proposed 
class in case number 1:00–CV–03110 (EGS) of the 
United States District Court for the District of Co-
lumbia; and 
(2) satisfying the claims against Iran relating 
to the taking of hostages and treatment of personnel 
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of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran, from 
November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981. 
(c) FUNDING.— 
(1) IMPOSITION OF SURCHARGE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—There is imposed a sur-
charge equal to 30 percent of the amount of— 
(i) any fine or monetary penalty im-
posed, in whole or in part, for a violation 
of a law or regulation specified in subpara-
graph (B) committed on or after the date 
of the enactment of this Act; or 
(ii) the monetary amount of a settle-
ment entered into by a person with respect 
to a suspected violation of a law or regula-
tion specified in subparagraph (B) related 
to activities undertaken on or after such 
date of enactment. 
(B) LAWS
AND
REGULATIONS
SPECI-
FIED.—A law or regulation specified in this 
subparagraph is any law or regulation that pro-
vides for a civil or criminal fine or monetary 
penalty for any economic activity relating to 
Iran that is administered by the Department of 
State, the Department of the Treasury, the De-
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partment of Justice, the Department of Com-
merce, or the Department of Energy. 
(C) TERMINATION OF DEPOSITS.—The im-
position of the surcharge under subparagraph 
(A) shall terminate on the date on which all 
amounts described in subsection (d)(2) have 
been distributed to all recipients described in 
that subsection. 
(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
this paragraph shall be construed to require a 
person that is found to have violated a law or 
regulation specified in subparagraph (B) to pay 
a surcharge under subparagraph (A) if that 
person has not been assessed a fine or mone-
tary penalty described in clause (i) of subpara-
graph (A) or entered in to a settlement de-
scribed in clause (ii) of that subparagraph for 
that violation. 
(2) DEPOSITS
INTO
FUND; AVAILABILITY
OF 
AMOUNTS.— 
(A) DEPOSITS.—The Secretary of the 
Treasury shall deposit into the Fund all sur-
charges collected pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), 
all contributions collected pursuant to para-
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graph (3), and any other resources made avail-
able pursuant to paragraph (4). 
(B) PAYMENT
OF
SURCHARGE
TO
SEC-
RETARY OF THE TREASURY.—A person upon 
which a surcharge is imposed under paragraph 
(1)(A) shall pay the surcharge to the Secretary 
without regard to whether the fine or penalty 
with respect to which the surcharge is im-
posed— 
(i) is paid directly to the Federal 
agency that administers the law or regula-
tion pursuant to which the fine or penalty 
is imposed; or 
(ii) is deemed satisfied by a payment 
to another Federal agency. 
(C) 
AVAILABILITY
OF
AMOUNTS
IN 
FUND.—Amounts in the Fund shall be avail-
able, without further appropriation, to make 
payments under subsection (d). 
(3) CONTRIBUTIONS.—The President is author-
ized to accept such amounts as may be contributed 
by individuals, business concerns, governments, or 
other entities for payments under this Act and such 
amounts may be deposited directly into the Fund. 
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(4) OTHER
RESOURCES.—The President may 
identify and use other funds available for compen-
sating claims under this Act and may deposit such 
amounts into the Fund. 
(d) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— 
(1) ADMINISTRATION
OF
FUND.—Payments 
from the Fund shall be administered by the Sec-
retary of State in accordance with such rules and 
procedures as the Secretary may prescribe. 
(2) PAYMENTS.—Subject to paragraphs (3) and 
(4), payments shall be made from the Fund to the 
following recipients in the following amounts: 
(A) To each living former hostage identi-
fied as a member of the proposed class de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1), $6,750 for each 
day of captivity of the former hostage. 
(B)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), to 
the estate of each deceased former hostage 
identified as a member of the proposed class de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1), $6,750 for each 
day of captivity of the former hostage. 
(ii) If the estate of a deceased former hos-
tage identified as a member of the proposed 
class described in subsection (b)(1) has no im-
mediate direct heirs as of the date of the enact-
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