S. 2930 (111th): Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act

Introduced:
Dec 23, 2009 (111th Congress, 2009–2010)
Sponsor:
Sen. Arlen Specter [D-PA]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. S. stands for Senate bill.

GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.


12/23/2009--Introduced.
Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act - Amends the federal judicial code to:
(1) expand the liability of foreign states for tortious acts committed against U.S. citizens during a terrorist act and allow civil actions against a foreign state that are now pending or that were dismissed to proceed in accordance with such expanded liability; and
(2) impose liability on a foreign state for the acts or omissions of its officials or employees while acting within the scope of their office or employment.
Amends the federal criminal code to:
(1) impose liability on any person who aids and abets an act of international terrorism, provides material support or resources to terrorist organizations, or conspires with terrorists;
(2) grant U.S. district courts personal jurisdiction over such persons;
(3) remove the prohibition against bringing a civil action against foreign states or foreign officials for damages related to acts of terrorism;
(4) extend from 4 to 10 years the limitation period for bringing an action for civil damages resulting from an act of international terrorism; and
(5) allow previously time-barred cases to be refiled within 90 days of the enactment of this Act.

House Republican Conference Summary

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No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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