InsideGov
Congress · Laws

Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act

Public Law 116-34 · H.R. 1327 · 116th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jul 29, 2019 · Law

Sponsor: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12)

Cosponsors (332): Rep. Jerrold Nadler,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 402 yea, 12 nay402–12
  • SenateRecorded vote: 97 yea, 2 nay97–2
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.

Report a correction

Summary

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

Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act

(Sec. 2) This bill funds through FY2092 the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.

Additionally, the bill modifies the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF):

• to allow claims to be filed until October 2090,

• to require VCF policies and procedures to be reassessed at least once every five years (currently, at least once annually),

• to require claimants to be paid for the amount by which a claim was reduced on the basis of insufficient funding,

• to remove the cap on noneconomic damages in certain circumstances, and

• to periodically adjust the annual limit on economic loss compensation for inflation.

(Sec. 3) It provides statutory authority for the Attorney General to appoint a special master and up to two deputy special masters to administer the VCF.

(Sec. 4) The bill exempts the budgetary effects of this bill from the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) rules established by the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 and the FY2018 congressional budget resolution.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 402 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

402 yea12 nay19 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(225)

Republicans who voted yea(177)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 473 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

Report a correction

Committees

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

  • Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee
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.

Report a correction

Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.Res. 476Related bill

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2500) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel st…

  • S. 546Identical bill

    Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

Report a correction

Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Jul 29, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-34.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jul 24, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jul 23, 2019FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 97 - 2. Record Vote Number: 224.Senate roll call 224
  6. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  7. Jul 17, 2019CalendarCalendar · Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 153.
  8. Jul 16, 2019CalendarCalendar · Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
  9. Jul 15, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate.
  10. Jul 12, 2019FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  11. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  12. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 402 - 12 (Roll no. 474).House roll call 474
  13. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  14. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  15. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1327.
  16. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  17. FloorFloor · Mr. Nadler moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  18. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 114.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 116-152.
  20. Jun 12, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  22. Mar 25, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
  23. Mar 7, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H2572-2573)
  24. Feb 25, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

Report a correction

Amendments

2 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 929SenateSen. Rand PaulR-KY· offered Jul 18, 2019Rejected

    To require a sequestration of certain direct spending.

    Jul 23, 2019: Amendment SA 929, under the order of 7/18/19, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 22 - 77. Record Vote Number: 223.

    Rejected

  • S.Amdt. 928SenateSen. Mike LeeR-UT· offered Jul 18, 2019Rejected

    To limit the amount available for the Victims Compensation Fund.

    Jul 23, 2019: Amendment SA 928, under the order of 7/18/19, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 32 - 66. Record Vote Number: 222.

    Rejected
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

Report a correction

Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.