Should the State Dept Report on Countries’ Efforts to Return Stolen Property to Holocaust Survivors & Victims’ Families? (S. 447)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is S. 447?
(Updated November 30, 2018)
This bill was enacted on May 9, 2018
This bill — the JUST Act — would direct the State Department to report on certain countries’ compliance with the 2009 Terezin Declaration which called for the return of, or restitution for, wrongfully confiscated or transferred Holocaust era assets. The declaration was endorsed by 47 countries but some, including some NATO members, haven’t fully addressed the restitution of Jewish communal, private, and heirless property.
Specifically, the report would assess the nature and extent of national laws or enforceable policies regarding compliance with the Terezin Declaration for countries considered by the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues to be of “particular concern” regarding such restitution, including:
The return to the rightful owner of wrongfully seized or transferred property, including religious or communal property, or the provision of comparable substitute property or the payment of equitable compensation to the rightful owner;
The use of the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the Terezin Declaration in settling claims involving publicly and privately held moveable property;
The resolution of heirless property to assist needy Holocaust survivors;
Progress on the resolution of claims for U.S. citizen Holocaust survivors and family members.
The bill’s full title is the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017.
Argument in favor
This bipartisan bill will help Holocaust survivors see the return of their wrongfully seized property or other restitution by showing the public which countries aren’t living up to their commitment to provide such restitution, thus spurring them to action.
Argument opposed
While more needs to be done to encourage other countries to provide restitution for wrongfully seized property to Holocaust survivors, simply reporting about countries which aren’t living up to those obligations won’t help.
Impact
Holocaust survivors with restitution claims, particularly those who are American citizens; foreign countries that aren’t fulfilling their obligations to return wrongfully seized property or otherwise provide restitution to survivors; and the State Dept.
Cost of S. 447
The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2018-2022 period.
Additional Info
In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced this bill to improve efforts assisting Holocaust survivors and the families of victims by reporting on the progress of certain countries in returning, or providing restitution for, wrongfully confiscated or transferred Holocaust era assets:
“I applaud the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today for supporting this bipartisan effort to ensure justice is done, at long last, for Holocaust survivors and the families of Holocaust victims. These individuals have waited far too long to recover, or receive compensation for, what is rightfully theirs, and by highlighting this issue as an American foreign policy priority, we will spur action in countries that are falling short of their obligations.”
Original cosponsor Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) added:
“The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of the JUST Act is one more step toward ensuring justice for Holocaust survivors and the families of Holocaust victims. By enhancing ongoing efforts between the State Department and European countries, this bill will help facilitate long deserved restitution to survivors and their families whose property was stolen during the Holocaust. I applaud today’s measure, and I look forward to the JUST Act’s final passage before the Senate.”
This legislation passed the both Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate as a whole unanimously, and has the support of 21 bipartisan cosponsors including 12 Democrats and nine Republicans.
Media:
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Sponsoring Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Press Release
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CBO Cost Estimate
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JTA
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Sunshine State News
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The Hill (Op-Ed In Favor)
Summary by Eric Revell
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