{ "id": "RL34348", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL34348", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 604987, "date": "2019-09-13", "retrieved": "2019-09-16T22:04:00.253853", "title": "Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "In November 1998, U.S. insurance regulators, six European insurers, international Jewish organizations, and the State of Israel agreed to establish the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC). ICHEIC was tasked with identifying policyholders and administering payment of hundreds of thousands of Holocaust-era insurance policies that had never been honored by European insurance companies. It ended its claims process in March 2007, having offered payments totaling about $306 million to 48,263 claimants. An additional $169 million was allocated to a \u201chumanitarian fund\u201d for Holocaust survivors and Holocaust education and remembrance. \nThroughout its existence, ICHEIC was criticized, including by some Members of Congress, for delays in its claims process, for conducting its activities with a lack of transparency, and for allegedly honoring an inadequate number of claims. Although they acknowledge initial delays in the claims process, ICHEIC supporters\u2014among them successive U.S. Administrations and European governments\u2014argue that the process was fair and comprehensive, especially given the unprecedented legal and historical complexities of the task.\nMany Members of Congress have shown a long-standing interest in seeking to obtain compensation for Holocaust survivors and their heirs for unpaid insurance policies. Hearings before the House Committee on Government Reform between 2001 and 2003 exposed broad criticism of ICHEIC, and legislation proposed in the 107th-115th Congresses sought to provide survivors alternative legal mechanisms to pursue claims (including companion bills H.R. 762 and S. 258 in the 115th Congress). These proposals were never enacted and were opposed by U.S. Administrations, which considered ICHEIC the exclusive vehicle for resolving Holocaust-era insurance claims.\nProponents of congressional legislation have argued that both the ICHEIC process and previous agreements between the United States and European governments failed to compensate a significant number of Holocaust survivors and/or their heirs and beneficiaries. These proponents contend that following ICHEIC\u2019s closure, the courts represent one of the few, if not the only, remaining avenues by which to pursue claims. Critics counter that by effectively reversing past commitments made by the U.S. government, the proposed legislation could damage future cooperation with European governments on other Holocaust compensation and restitution issues while enabling what they predict would amount to costly but fruitless litigation.\nThis report aims to inform congressional deliberation on Holocaust-era insurance issues by providing background on Holocaust-era compensation and restitution issues; an overview of ICHEIC, including criticism and support of its claims process and Administration policy on ICHEIC; and an overview of litigation on Holocaust-era insurance claims and past legislative proposals.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL34348", "sha1": "49ca948aaee693bd47082a9db2e4c3a80394e0a7", "filename": "files/20190913_RL34348_49ca948aaee693bd47082a9db2e4c3a80394e0a7.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL34348_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190913_RL34348_images_fb682bf86809f01240cd155cc49b65132ec2e4b3.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL34348", "sha1": "a840a7668f649a2282f39ad22f4d44b27037e39b", "filename": "files/20190913_RL34348_a840a7668f649a2282f39ad22f4d44b27037e39b.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 441224, "date": "2012-06-15", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T00:04:19.045511", "title": "Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Proposed Legislation", "summary": "In November 1998, U.S. insurance regulators, six European insurers, international Jewish organizations, and the State of Israel agreed to establish the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC). ICHEIC was tasked with identifying policyholders and administering payment of hundreds of thousands of Holocaust-era insurance policies alleged never to have been honored by European insurance companies. It ended its claims process in March 2007, having facilitated the payment of just over $300 million to 47,353 claimants. An additional $190 million was allocated to a \u201chumanitarian fund\u201d for Holocaust survivors and Holocaust education and remembrance. \nThroughout its existence, ICHEIC was criticized, including by some Members of Congress, for delays in its claims process, for conducting its activities with a lack of transparency, and for allegedly honoring an inadequate number of claims. Although they acknowledge initial delays in the claims process, ICHEIC supporters\u2014among them successive U.S. Administrations and European governments\u2014argue that the process was fair and comprehensive, especially given the unprecedented legal and historical complexities of the task.\nMembers of Congress have shown a long-standing interest in seeking to obtain compensation for Holocaust survivors and their heirs for unpaid insurance policies. Hearings before the House Committee on Government Reform between 2001 and 2003 exposed broad criticism of ICHEIC, and legislation proposed in the 107th-111th Congresses sought to provide survivors alternative legal mechanisms to pursue claims. These proposals were never enacted and were opposed by U.S. Administrations, which considered ICHEIC the exclusive vehicle for resolving Holocaust-era insurance claims.\nICHEIC\u2019s closure, and growing concern about the well-being of aging survivors\u2014now predominantly over 80 years old\u2014have reignited congressional interest in Holocaust-era insurance and other compensation issues. In March 2011, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Senator Bill Nelson introduced companion legislation in the House and the Senate (H.R. 890 and S. 466) that would affirm Holocaust survivors\u2019 and their heirs\u2019 right to pursue claims against European insurance companies in U.S. courts and would prohibit executive agreements reached by the federal government from preempting state laws that impose disclosure requirements on European insurers. Critics of the proposed legislation argue that by effectively reversing past commitments made by the U.S. government, the bills could damage future cooperation with European governments on other Holocaust compensation and restitution issues. Furthermore, they contend that the legislation would enable costly, but likely fruitless, litigation.\nThis report aims to inform consideration of H.R. 890 and S. 466 and possible alternatives by providing: background on Holocaust-era compensation and restitution issues; an overview of ICHEIC, including criticism and support of its claims process and Administration policy on ICHEIC; and an overview of litigation on Holocaust-era insurance claims and the proposed legislation.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL34348", "sha1": "8ae6225501bc70e2d0ecf3f022c1e71bef252c09", "filename": "files/20120615_RL34348_8ae6225501bc70e2d0ecf3f022c1e71bef252c09.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL34348", "sha1": "5cbe180e12b02f11009cf918631ad67050b78ae9", "filename": "files/20120615_RL34348_5cbe180e12b02f11009cf918631ad67050b78ae9.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc96801/", "id": "RL34348_2011Jul13", "date": "2011-07-13", "retrieved": "2012-08-07T13:52:45", "title": "Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Proposed Legislation", "summary": "This report aims to inform consideration of H.R. 890 and S. 466 and possible alternatives by providing: background on Holocaust-era compensation and restitution issues; an overview of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC), including criticism and support of its claims process and Administration policy on ICHEIC; and an overview of litigation on Holocaust-era insurance claims and the proposed legislation.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20110713_RL34348_85b38757f9f3f1321a385b68ce2df5828c609ebd.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20110713_RL34348_85b38757f9f3f1321a385b68ce2df5828c609ebd.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "History", "name": "History" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "World War II", "name": "World War II" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Jewish holocaust (1939-1945)", "name": "Jewish holocaust (1939-1945)" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Insurance", "name": "Insurance" }, { "source": "LCSH", "id": "World War, 1939-1945.", "name": "World War, 1939-1945." } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc463347/", "id": "RL34348_2008Jul21", "date": "2008-07-21", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Proposed Legislation", "summary": "This report aims to inform consideration of H.R. 1746 and possible alternatives by providing: background on Holocaust-era compensation and restitution issues; an overview of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC), including criticism and support of its claims process and Administration policy on ICHEIC; and an overview of litigation on Holocaust-era insurance claims and the proposed legislation.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080721_RL34348_f56aa4d3c52ab4db0e1396e343d555051744a02d.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080721_RL34348_f56aa4d3c52ab4db0e1396e343d555051744a02d.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "History", "name": "History" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "World War II", "name": "World War II" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Jewish holocaust (1939-1945)", "name": "Jewish holocaust (1939-1945)" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Insurance", "name": "Insurance" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc809001/", "id": "RL34348_2008Feb04", "date": "2008-02-04", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Proposed Legislation", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080204_RL34348_dc4d4c39673caaab2abf22ac9e036d12748c6e83.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080204_RL34348_dc4d4c39673caaab2abf22ac9e036d12748c6e83.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc805752/", "id": "RL34348_2008Jan30", "date": "2008-01-30", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims: Background and Proposed Legislation", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080130_RL34348_7de0207e4458809c8ef6aaa4848d2b1680a4beef.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080130_RL34348_7de0207e4458809c8ef6aaa4848d2b1680a4beef.html" } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Economic Policy", "European Affairs", "Foreign Affairs" ] }