Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act

Overview

• Bill: H.R. 6527, the Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act
• Session: 119th Congress
• Introduced: December 9, 2025 by Rep. Jim (for herself and Rep. Lofgren)
• Purpose: To provide compensation to United States victims of Libyan State-sponsored terrorism, specifically those associated with the Lockerbie bombing, through a dedicated Living Victims of Lockerbie Claims Trust Fund.

Purpose and Intent

• Establish a mechanism to compensate living U.S. victims of Libyan state-sponsored terrorism who meet defined criteria.
• Create a dedicated trust fund and a structured claims process to distribute a fixed pool of money to qualifying claimants.
• Ensure an orderly, verifiable process for recognizing eligibility and distributing payments.

Key Provisions and Changes

1. Definitional Scope

   • Introduces the term “compensable living victim of Libyan State-sponsored terrorism.”
   • Eligible individuals must satisfy all of the following:
     • U.S. person
     • 45 years of age or older on December 3, 1991
     • Employed by Pan American World Airways, Inc. on December 3, 1991
     • Named claimant in Abbott et al. v. Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (DC District Court case 1:94–cv–02444–SS)
     • Alive on August 14, 2008

2. Living Victims of Lockerbie Claims Trust Fund

   • Establishment: A new trust fund, the Living Victims of Lockerbie Claims Trust Fund, to be created within the U.S. Treasury no later than 30 days after enactment.
   • Funding: An initial appropriation of $42,066,338 (from general Treasury funds) to remain available until expended for compensating eligible living victims.

3. Claims Process and Certification

   • The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission (FCSC) is tasked with:
     • Publishing a notice in the Federal Register describing the filing process, with a filing deadline 60 days after publication.
     • Within 60 days after the end of the filing period, determine eligibility and approve compensable claims.
     • Certify approved claims to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment authorization.

4. Payments and Calculation

   • Payments: Upon certification, the Secretary of the Treasury shall pay compensable living victims from the Fund.
   • Calculation: Each approved claimant receives an award equal to the total fund amount ($42,066,338) divided by the total number of claims certified under the process.
   • Representation: If a qualifying claimant is deceased, a personal representative may bring a claim on behalf of the estate.

Who Would Be Affected

• Primary beneficiaries are living U.S. victims who meet the defined criteria related to age, employment with Pan American World Airways in 1991, and inclusion in the Abbott v. Libyan case, provided they are living as of August 14, 2008.
• Estates of deceased qualifying claimants may be represented by personal representatives to receive awards on their behalf.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

• Enactment Timeline:
  • Establish the Trust Fund within 30 days of enactment.
  • Initial funding of $42,066,338 becomes available upon establishment.
  • FCSC must publish notice of filing within 30 days of enactment and set a 60-day filing window.
  • FCSC has up to 60 days after the filing period to determine eligibility and approve claims.
  • Approved claims are certified to the Treasury for payment.
• Administrative Roles:
  • Foreign Claims Settlement Commission handles filing notices, eligibility determinations, and certification.
  • Secretary of the Treasury handles payment disbursement from the Fund.

Potential Impact and Considerations

• Creates a finite, transparent process to compensate a defined group of living victims and/or their estates.
• Establishes a fixed payment amount per claimant, effectively distributing the fund evenly among certified claims.
• Notably narrows eligibility to a specific subset of Lockerbie-related claimants, potentially excluding broader groups of Libyan-state-sponsored terrorism victims.
• Requires timely administrative action by FCSC and Treasury to implement the program after enactment.

If you’d like, I can add a quick comparison to similar restitution efforts or outline potential questions for stakeholders (victims, families, and employers) to consider.