I 
107TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5677
To allow suits to be filed against foreign states or other persons for damages 
arising from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, regardless 
of whether a claim has been filed under the September 11th Victims 
Compensation Fund of 2001, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 16, 2002
Ms. MCKINNEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To allow suits to be filed against foreign states or other 
persons for damages arising from the terrorist attacks 
of September 11, 2001, regardless of whether a claim 
has been filed under the September 11th Victims Com-
pensation Fund of 2001, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Lasting Justice for 
Victims of 9/11 Act’’.
SEC. 2. JURISDICTION OF FEDERAL COURTS. 
(a) JURISDICTION.—Notwithstanding chapter 97 of 
title 28, United States Code, in any action brought in any 
court of the United States or of any State in which money 
damages are sought against a foreign state or other per-
son for personal injury or death that was caused by the 
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, including any ac-
tion brought on the basis of the defendant’s direct partici-
pation in such attacks or other acts of the defendant that 
caused, permitted, provided material support or resources 
(as defined in section 2339A of title 18, United States 
Code) for, or in any other way assisted the perpetrators 
in the commission of, such attacks, the jurisdiction of the 
court shall not be barred—
(1) on the grounds that the defendant is im-
mune from suit as a foreign state, or is immune 
from suit under the Vienna Convention on Diplo-
matic Relations, the Convention on Privileges and 
Immunities of the United Nations, the Diplomatic 
Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 254a et seq.), or any other 
law extending diplomatic privileges or immunities; or 
(2) on the basis of section 408(b) of the Sep-
tember 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001 
(49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
(b) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—No action to which 
subsection (a) applies may be brought more than 25 years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, and any 
commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 
States. 
(2) FOREIGN STATE.—The term ‘‘foreign state’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 1603 of 
title 28, United States Code. 
(d) ACTIONS AGAINST AIR CARRIERS NOT AF-
FECTED.—This section does not supersede the applica-
bility of section 408(a) of the September 11th Victims 
Compensation Fund of 2001 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note). 
SEC. 3. RIGHTS UNDER SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIMS COM-
PENSATION FUND. 
Sections 405(c)(3)(B) and 409 of the September 
11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001 (49 U.S.C. 
40101 note) shall not apply with respect to any action to 
which section 2(a) of this Act applies, except that if a per-
son receives a money judgment in an action to which sec-
tion 2(a) applies—
(1) the court shall so notify the Special Master 
appointed under section 404(a) of the September 
11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001; and 
(2)(A) if the person has already been paid com-
pensation under section 406 of that Act, the court 
shall order the reimbursement of the appropriate ac-
count of the United States Treasury in an amount 
which is the lesser of—
(i) the amount of the judgment, less costs 
and attorneys fees; or 
(ii) the amount of the compensation paid 
under such section 406; or 
(B) if no payment under section 406 of that 
Act has yet been made to that person, the Special 
Master referred to in paragraph (1) shall reduce the 
amount of any compensation defined under section 
405(b)(1)(B)(ii) of that Act by the amount of the 
judgment, less costs and attorneys fees, except that 
no amount of compensation shall be reduced to less 
than 0. 
SEC. 4. ACTION BY EXECUTIVE BRANCH. 
The heads of the appropriate departments and agen-
cies of the United States shall assist plaintiffs in actions 
to which section 2(a) applies in enforcing any decision,
judgment, or order issued in favor of plaintiffs in such 
actions.
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