65 cosponsors.
“To create an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism within the Department of Justice to undertake certain specific steps to ensure that all American citizens harmed by terrorism overseas receive equal treatment by the United States Government regardless of the terrorists' country of origin or residence, and to ensure that all terrorists involved in such attacks are pursued, prosecuted, and punished with equal vigor, regardless of the terrorists' country of origin or residence.” States that since 1968 over 100 U.S. citizens have been “murdered” in “terrorist attacks” occurring in Israel, or territories administered by Israel or the PA and that the situation in the PA is “especially grave” in areas administered by the PA because many “terrorists” are walking free, have been given jobs in the PA, and streets have bee named after “terrorists who were involved in the murder of Americans.” The office to be established will be in charge of the rewards for justice program that grants payments to those who provide information in U.S. federal government criminal or terrorist investigations around the world and, among others, will determine if suspects are members of local security or police forces. In addition, “the office shall undertake a comprehensive assessment of the pattern of United States indictments and prosecution of terrorists who have harmed American citizens overseas, in order to determine the reasons for the absence of indictments of terrorists residing in some regions, such as the territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority.” Furthermore, the office will monitor the naming of streets or public institutions after “terrorists” and recommend ending assistance to those institutions. In instances in which specific organizations that claimed responsibility for acts of terrorism against Americans overseas subsequently became part of a governing regime with which the U.S. government maintains diplomatic or other official contacts, such as the PA, the office will initiate negotiations to secure appropriate financial compensation for American citizens, or the families of such citizens, who were harmed by those organizations' “terrorism.” The bill also calls for treating all “terrorists” involved in harming Americans as personas non grata and denying them visas to enter the U.S. However, the measure calls for their extradition to the U.S. to face further indictments after being released from prison in their respective countries. Finally, authorizes an unspecified amount to carry out this act.
See also: companion measure S. 684 on 3/21/03.