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Holocaust Victims Redress Act

Public Law 105-158 · S. 1564 · 105th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Feb 13, 1998 · International Affairs

Sponsor: Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Heirless Assets

Title II: Works of Art

Holocaust Victims Redress Act - Title I: Heirless Assets - Directs the President to direct the commissioner representing the United States on the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold to seek and vote for a timely agreement under which all signatories to the Paris Agreement on Reparation with claims against the monetary gold pool in the Commission's jurisdiction contribute all or a substantial portion of such gold to charitable organizations to assist survivors of the Holocaust.

Authorizes the President to obligate up to $30 million for such distribution.

Authorizes appropriations, including appropriations for archival research to assist in the restitution of assets looted or extorted from victims of the Holocaust and such other activities that would further Holocaust remembrance and education.

Title II: Works of Art - Expresses the sense of the Congress that, consistent with the 1907 Hague Convention, all governments should undertake good faith efforts to facilitate the return of private and public property, such as works of art, to the rightful owners in cases where assets were confiscated from the claimant during the period of Nazi rule and there is reasonable proof that the claimant is the rightful owner.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.

  1. Feb 13, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-158.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Feb 4, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Jan 27, 1998FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · RESERVATION OF OBJECTION - Under a reservation of objection, the House proceeded with debate on the unanimous consent request.
  7. FloorFloor · Mr. Leach asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
  8. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Foreign Affairs Committee
  9. Nov 14, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Foreign Affairs Committee
  10. Nov 13, 1997FloorFloor · Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  11. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.