Congress closes gap in 9/11 victim compensation for families left behind

What it does

This bill amends the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act to authorize an additional lump-sum payment equal to 5.8573% of their judgment to certain 9/11 victims and their families who were previously excluded from earlier compensation rounds. The Special Master must notify eligible claimants within 90 days and process payments within 90 days of verification, with funds drawn from general Treasury appropriations.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative function is to expand an existing federal compensation program for 9/11 victims and their families by authorizing an additional catch-up payment to those previously excluded. It is a targeted remedial appropriation, not a policy change or market intervention.

What the text implies

• The 5.8573% figure appears to be a calculated catch-up amount designed to equalize or partially equalize payments across cohorts of claimants who received different percentages in prior rounds; the specific percentage suggests prior legislative or administrative determinations about fairness across payment tranches.
• The bill's reliance on 'any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated' creates a standing appropriation with no cap; if the number of eligible claimants or their judgments are larger than anticipated, the fiscal exposure is open-ended.
• Eligibility is tied to two separate prior determinations (Air Transportation Safety Act section 405(c)(2) OR CFR section 104.44 spouse/dependent status), suggesting this bill catches claimants who qualified under one regime but were administratively excluded from the 2026 payment round.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill extends compensation to 9/11 victims and their families who were previously left out of earlier payment rounds, closing a gap in the existing terrorism victim compensation program. The mechanism is straightforward: identify excluded eligible parties and pay them a defined percentage of their judgment, funded by general appropriations.

Named in the bill

Special Master (Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act), 9/11 victims and families, U.S. Treasury, Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act, Code of Federal Regulations Title 28, Section 104.44

Where it stands

12 cosponsors: 8 Democrats, 4 Republicans.

• Jun 18, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 18, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $50,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 2 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Dan Goldman, the sponsor, reported $407,029 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Kreindler & Kreindler Llp (for Certain Plaintiffs in "9/11" Litigation) — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.