Federal compensation for sexual violence survivors, funded by criminal forfeitures.
H.R. 10397 — Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act of 2026 · Filed by Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) · 45 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 15, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill establishes a federal compensation program for survivors of sexual violence, particularly those harmed by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell or victims of federal crimes where the government failed to protect their rights. Survivors can file petitions in federal court to receive compensation of at least $123,000, with awards covering both economic and non-economic losses, plus attorneys' fees. The program is administered by special adjudicators appointed to the federal court system and funded by forfeited assets from sex trafficking and related crimes.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a federal compensation fund for sexual violence survivors, administered through specialized court adjudicators. It is a remedial program, not a regulatory or appropriations measure.
What the text implies
- The $123,000 minimum may create a floor that becomes a de facto ceiling in practice if adjudicators lack guidance on non-economic damages valuation for trauma.
- Funding depends entirely on forfeited assets from sex trafficking and related crimes; if forfeitures decline, the program's ability to pay awards may be constrained despite authorization language.
- The 120-day decision deadline (exclusive of suspended time) may be difficult to meet for complex cases involving multiple victims or historical abuse spanning decades.
- Exclusion of awards from means-tested benefits calculations is protective, but survivors may face unexpected tax or benefit consequences if the IRS or state agencies interpret the statute differently.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Survivors of sexual violence gain a direct, accessible federal remedy with guaranteed minimum compensation, legal representation funded by awards, and expedited proceedings designed to minimize re-traumatization. The program imposes no cost on survivors and is funded by forfeited criminal assets, not general tax revenue.
Who stands to gain
- sexual violence survivors (direct compensation)
- attorneys representing survivors (fee awards)
Named in the bill
Attorney General, United States Court of Federal Claims, Office of Special Adjudicators for Survivors Restitution, Survivors' Rights Restitution Fund, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Internal Revenue Service
Where it stands
45 cosponsors: 45 Democrats.
- Sep 15, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 15, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (17,658 characters) on Sep 23, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,784 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-24.
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