Congress: 112 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: neutral
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HR 890.
Sponsor: Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL)
Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act of 2011 - Authorizes any person who purchased a covered policy, or a beneficiary or heir of such person, to bring a civil action in federal district court against the insurer, or a related company of the insurer, to recover proceeds due or enforce any rights under the policy. (Defines "covered policy" as any life, dowry, education, property, or other insurance policy that: (1) was in effect at any time between January 30, 1933, and December 31, 1945; and (2) was issued to a policyholder domiciled in any area occupied or controlled by Nazi Germany). Permits nationwide service of process in order to bring such civil action. Directs the court to award certain remedies to the prevailing beneficiary in such action. Prohibits any executive agreement between the United States and any foreign country from invalidating or preempting any state law creating a cause of action against an insurer or related company based upon a claim arising out of, or related to, a covered insurance policy by reason of either any specified executive foreign policy or specified executive agreement. Deems effective upon its enactment any state law enacted on or after March 1, 1998, which requires an insurer doing business in that state to disclose information regarding such covered policies. Prohibits any federal department or agency from expending funds for the purpose of issuing a statement of interest seeking to encourage a federal court to dismiss any claim or action brought to recover compensation arising out of or related to a covered policy. Prohibits a court from dismissing a claim or action brought under this Act within 10 years after its enactment on the ground that the claim or action is barred under any statute of limitations or the doctrine of laches.
This law lets Holocaust survivors, their heirs, and beneficiaries sue insurance companies in federal court to recover money from life, property, or other insurance policies issued between 1933 and 1945 to people in Nazi-occupied areas. It overrides statutes of limitations for 10 years, prevents the federal government from arguing these cases should be dismissed, and bars executive agreements from blocking these lawsuits.
While focused on historical Holocaust insurance claims rather than current Israel-Palestine policy, the bill establishes a legal principle that survivors of mass atrocities have enforceable rights to compensation from private corporations—a framework that could inform debates over reparations and corporate accountability in other conflict contexts.