I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3369 
To provide compensation for United States citizens taken hostage by terrorists 
or state sponsors of terrorism. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 3, 2007 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, 
and Mr. POE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on For-
eign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide compensation for United States citizens taken 
hostage by terrorists or state sponsors of terrorism. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. COMPENSATION FOR UNITED STATES CITIZENS 
TAKEN HOSTAGE BY TERRORISTS OR STATE 
SPONSORS OF TERRORISM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with such proce-
dures as the President may by regulation establish, the 
President shall receive the claims of, and pay compensa-
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tion to, any national of the United States, or to the estate 
of any such national, who— 
(1) has obtained a judgment on a claim filed 
prior to the date of enactment of this Act in a court 
of the United States against a foreign state seeking 
compensation for injuries caused by an act of hos-
tage-taking, and such a claim has not been fully sat-
isfied; 
(2) at any time on or after August 2, 1990, and 
while not serving on active duty in the Armed 
Forces of the United States, was taken as a hostage 
by a terrorist party; or 
(3) was a representative plaintiff or class mem-
ber in Case Number 1:00CV03110 (EGS) in the 
United States District Court for the District of Co-
lumbia or a plaintiff in Case Number 1:00CV00716 
(HHK) in the United States District Court for the 
District of Columbia. 
(b) LIMIT ON AMOUNT OF AWARD.—The amount 
that may be awarded to any person seeking compensation 
under this section shall not exceed $500,000, adjusted to 
reflect the annual percentage change in the Consumer 
Price Index from the date on which the act of hostage- 
taking was initiated to the date on which such compensa-
tion is paid. 
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(c) TYPE OF AWARD.—Subject to the limit in sub-
section (b), any person seeking compensation under this 
section shall be awarded the following amounts, with re-
spect to which the United States shall enjoy full subroga-
tion rights in the event such person obtains any recovery 
in litigation or otherwise as a result of the hostage-taking 
on which the claim under this section is based: 
(1) In the case of any person who has been 
issued a final judgment for compensatory damages, 
the unsatisfied amount of such judgment. 
(2) In the case of any person who survived his 
or her captivity and who has not been issued a final 
judgment for compensatory damages, $10,000 per 
day for each day during which the person was held 
or, if the person died or was tortured during the 
course of his or her captivity, the maximum amount 
specified in subsection (b). 
(d) PROHIBITION ON CIVIL ACTIONS AGAINST FOR-
EIGN STATES.—A person who has accepted compensation 
under subsection (c)(2) may not commence or maintain 
in any court in the United States a civil action against 
a foreign state, or any agency or instrumentality of a for-
eign state, seeking compensation for injuries or damages 
associated with the act of hostage-taking on which the 
claim under this section is based. 
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(e) FUNDING.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish 
in the Treasury of the United States a fund (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘‘Hostage Victims Fund’’) for pay-
ment of claims to persons to whom compensation is due 
under this section. The President shall direct deposits into 
the Hostage Victims Fund in amounts sufficient to pay 
persons to whom compensation is due under subsection 
(c), in such proportions as the President may determine, 
from— 
(1) the blocked assets of terrorist parties; 
(2) amounts received by the United States by 
reason of any legal action taken by the United 
States against any person relating to improper con-
duct in connection with the Oil for Food Program of 
the United Nations, including any fines, forfeitures, 
or disgorgements of amounts received through any 
activity related to such Program; or 
(3) amounts received as a result of any fine or 
forfeiture obtained from any person or entity in con-
nection with a violation of— 
(A) the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); 
(B) section 5(b) of the Trading With the 
Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. App. 5(b)); 
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(C) the United and Strengthening America 
by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to 
Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PA-
TRIOT) Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–56; 115 
Stat. 272); 
(D) chapter 53 of title 31, United States 
Code, chapter 2 of title I of Public Law 91– 
508, and section 21 of the Federal Deposit In-
surance Act; 
(E) the Export Administration Act of 1979 
(50 U.S.C. App. 2401–2410); or 
(F) any regulations promulgated under an 
Act listed in any of subparagraphs (A) through 
(E). 
(f) ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR VICTIMS OF 
IRANIAN HOSTAGE-TAKING IN TEHRAN.—In addition to 
any amounts that may be awarded under subsection (c), 
the President shall, from monies deposited for Iran in the 
Iran Foreign Military Sales Fund account within the For-
eign Military Sales Fund (including any amounts accrued 
as interest thereon)— 
(1) pay any person who qualifies for payment 
under subsection (a)(3) who was taken as a hostage 
by the Islamic Republic of Iran on November 4, 
1979, or who was taken as a hostage in Lebanon by 
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Hezbollah on December 4, 1984, and subsequently 
transferred to Iran, additional compensation of 
$500,000, adjusted to reflect the annual percentage 
change in the Consumer Price Index, from the date 
on which the act of hostage-taking was initiated to 
the date on which the compensation under this para-
graph is paid; and 
(2) pay any person who was, at the time of the 
hostage-taking described in paragraph (1), the 
spouse or child of the person taken hostage, 50 per-
cent of the total amount of compensation paid to the 
person taken hostage. 
(g) RETURN
OF AMOUNTS
IN HOSTAGE VICTIMS 
FUND TO CERTAIN FOREIGN STATES.—Upon exercising 
all authorities necessary to terminate the designation of 
a foreign state as a terrorist party and the status of the 
assets of such foreign state as blocked assets, the Presi-
dent may withdraw from the Hostage Victims Fund 
amounts not to exceed the value of the assets of that for-
eign state which have been deposited into such Fund and 
return such amounts to the control of such foreign state 
if, prior to such withdrawal, all claims received by the 
President prior to the exercise of such authorities have 
been adjudicated and paid in full or the President has de-
termined that the remaining balance of the Fund after 
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such withdrawal will be sufficient to make prompt pay-
ment on all such claims in the full amount provided for 
under the terms of this Act. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) BLOCKED
ASSET.—The term ‘‘blocked 
asset’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
201(d)(2) of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 
2002 (Public Law 107–297; 28 U.S.C. 1610 note). 
(2) HOSTAGE.—The term ‘‘hostage’’ has the 
meaning given that term in Article 1 of the Inter-
national Convention Against the Taking of the Hos-
tages, signed at New York on December 17, 1979 
(TIAS 11081), and includes any hostage taken be-
fore that date. 
(3) HOSTAGE-TAKING.—The term ‘‘hostage-tak-
ing’’ has the meaning given that term in Article 1 
of the International Convention Against the Taking 
of the Hostages and includes any act that caused a 
person to be in ‘‘hostage status’’ within the meaning 
of section 599C(d)(1) of Public Law 101–513. 
(4) TERRORIST
PARTY.—The term ‘‘terrorist 
party’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
201(d)(4) of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 
2002 (Public Law 107–297; 28 U.S.C. 1610 note) 
and includes any person, organization, or foreign 
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state that was designated as such either at the time 
or as a result of the act of hostage-taking for which 
compensation is sought. 
Æ 
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