A bill to provide compensation for United States victims of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism, and for other purposes.
Bill: S.5357 | Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act
This bill establishes a mechanism for compensating certain victims of the bombing of Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988.
Specifically, the Department of the Treasury must establish a fund to compensate qualifying victims of the bombing (generally, former employees of Pan American who were part of an earlier lawsuit seeking compensation from Libya for the bombing).
The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission must establish a process for claimants to apply for compensation from the fund.

To provide compensation for United States victims of Libyan state-
              sponsored terrorism, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Justice for the Living Victims of 
Lockerbie Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINED TERM.

    In this Act, the term ``compensable living victim of Libyan state-
sponsored terrorism'' means an individual who--
            (1) is a United States person;
            (2) was 45 years of age or older on December 3, 1991;
            (3) was employed by Pan American World Airways, Inc., on 
        December 3, 1991;
            (4) was a named claimant in Abbott et al. v. Socialist 
        People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (case number 1:94-cv-02444-SS) 
        in the United States District Court for the District of 
        Columbia; and
            (5) was alive on August 14, 2008.

SEC. 3. LIVING VICTIMS OF LOCKERBIE CLAIMS TRUST FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall establish, 
in the Treasury of the United States, a trust fund, to be known as the 
``Living Victims of Lockerbie Claims Trust Fund'' (in this section 
referred to as the ``Fund'') for the payment of claims submitted by 
compensable living victims of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism under 
section 4.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Once the Fund is established 
pursuant to subsection (a), there shall be appropriated to the Fund, 
out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise 
appropriated, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2023, which shall be made 
available to provide compensation to compensable living victims of 
Libyan state-sponsored terrorism.

SEC. 4. COMPENSATION FOR LIVING VICTIMS OF LIBYAN STATE-SPONSORED 
              TERRORISM.

    (a) Certification by the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.--The 
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission shall--
            (1) not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, publish in the Federal Register a notice of a 
        process for filing claims on behalf of compensable living 
        victims of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism, which shall 
        include a deadline for the filing of claims of not later than 
        the date that is 60 days after the date of publication of the 
        notice;
            (2) not later than 60 days after the end of the period for 
        filing claims described in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) determine if each individual who submitted a 
                claim under that paragraph is a compensable living 
                victim of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism; and
                    (B) approve the claim of each individual the 
                Commission determines under subparagraph (A) to be a 
                compensable living victim of Libyan state-sponsored 
                terrorism; and
            (3) upon approving a claim under paragraph (2)(B), certify 
        approval of the claim to the Secretary of the Treasury for 
        purposes of authorization of payment under subsection (b).
    (b) Payments Authorized.--Upon receiving a certification from the 
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission under subsection (a)(3), the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall make payments from the Fund to 
compensable living victims of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism in 
accordance with subsection (c).
    (c) Compensation.--
            (1) In general.--Upon a certification by the Foreign Claims 
        Settlement Commission under subsection (a)(3) of the claim of a 
        compensable living victim of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism, 
        the claimant (or, in the case of a deceased claimant, the 
        personal representative of the claimant's estate) shall be 
        entitled to an award in an amount equal to--
                    (A) $20,000,000, divided by
                    (B) the total number of claims certified under 
                subsection (a)(3).
            (2) Representative.--If a putative claimant that otherwise 
        qualifies for compensation under this section is deceased, a 
        personal representative may bring a claim on behalf of the 
        estate of the claimant.
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