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United States · Bill · HR

H.R. 4826 (105th)

Holocaust Victim Insurance Relief Act of 1998

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

13 October 1998

Last action

20 October 1998 · Referred

Status

Referred to the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials.

Sponsors

Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-32], Rep. Lantos, Tom [D-CA-12], Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2], Rep. Yates, Sidney R. [D-IL-9], Rep. Waxman, Henry A. [D-CA-33], Rep. Frost, Martin [D-TX-24]

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

21 August 2025

Summary

Holocaust Victim Insurance Relief Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Commerce jointly to establish a central public registry containing records and information relating to insurance policies of living and deceased victims of the Holocaust, to be known as the Holocaust Insurance Registry. Requires any insurer currently doing business in the United States that sold life, property, liability, health, annuity, dowry, educational, or casualty insurance policies, directly or through a related company, to persons in Europe, which were in effect between 1920 and 1945, to file with the Departments of the Treasury, State, or Commerce for entry into the Registry: (1) the number of such insurance policies; (2) the holder, beneficiary, and current status of such policies; and (3) a comparison of the names of holders and beneficiaries of such policies and the names of Holocaust victims. Requires each such insurer to certify under penalty of perjury to any of the following: (1) the proceeds of the policies have been paid to the designated beneficiaries or their heirs where that person or persons could be located and identified; (2) the proceeds of the policies, where the beneficiaries or heirs could not be located or identified, have been distributed to Holocaust survivors or to qualified charitable nonprofit organizations for the purpose of assisting Holocaust survivors; (3) a court of law has certified in a legal proceeding resolving the rights of unpaid policyholders, their heirs, and beneficiaries, a plan for the distribution of the proceeds; or (4) the proceeds have not been distributed and the amounts of those proceeds. Exempts from such filing requirement any insurer currently doing business in the United States that did not sell any insurance policies in Europe before 1945, if a related company, whether or not authorized and currently doing business in the United States, has made such a filing. Makes any insurer that knowingly files false information liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for each violation, which penalty is appropriated to the Departments of the Treasury, State, and Commerce to be used to aid in the resolution of Holocaust insurance claims. Declares that any insurance company that fails to comply with the requirements of this Act shall be suspended from practicing in the insurance business until the time that the insurer complies. Expresses the sense of the Congress that outstanding claims under insurance policies held by Holocaust victims and survivors be resolved at the earliest possible time.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 13 October 1998

    Introduced

    Referred to the Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 13 October 1998

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 13 October 1998

    Introduced

    Referred to House Commerce

    Source: IntroReferral

  4. 13 October 1998

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  5. 20 October 1998

    Referred

    Referred to the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials.

    Source: Committee

Votes

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Versions

Documents

3 official files

Introduced in House (text)

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  • Introduced in House (text)

    Introduced in House · EN · 13 October 1998

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in House (PDF)

    Introduced in House · EN · 13 October 1998

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in House

    summary · EN · 13 October 1998

    Open at official source

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Sponsors

Related records

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Sources

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