Paul Whelan Hostage Compensation and Reintegration Act

This bill would require the Secretary of State to pay compensation to U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents who were unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad, or to their next of kin if they died. The payment would be a one-time lump sum equal to the national average wage index divided by 365, multiplied by the number of days detained. People who entered a country under a level 4 travel advisory, an older travel warning, or a 'D' wrongful-detention risk indicator would not qualify, unless they traveled on official government duty or as journalists, or the Secretary grants a humanitarian or national interest exception. The payments would not count as income for means-tested benefits, attorney fees would be capped at 5 percent, and funding would come from unused balances of the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Haley M. Stevens Democrat sponsor
• 0 cosponsors