Congresswoman Laurel Lee Introduces Bill to Help Holocaust Survivors and Families Reclaim Stolen Art

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Laurel Lee (FL-15) introduced the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act Improvements of 2025, a bipartisan bill that will help Holocaust survivors and their families reclaim artwork stolen by the Nazis. The bill removes the upcoming 2026 expiration date from the original law and makes key updates to ensure that survivors’ claims are heard fairly in court.

Congresswoman Lee is joined by Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Jerrod Nadler (NY-10), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), and Jamie Raskin (MD-08). Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is leading the companion legislation in the Senate.

“The Nazi regime stole not only lives but legacies, including cultural and family treasures that carry deep personal and historical meaning,”said Congresswoman Lee. “This bill ensures that families who lost everything during the Holocaust are given a fair shot at justice. These claims should be decided on the truth, not on legal loopholes or paperwork deadlines. With this legislation, we reaffirm our commitment to standing with Holocaust survivors and their families. They deserve to have their stories heard and their property returned. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”

“Justice delayed should not be justice denied, especially for Holocaust survivors and their families,” said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. “This bill ensures they can continue seeking justice in U.S. courts, without being blocked by procedural loopholes. We have a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and stand with those still fighting to recover what was wrongfully taken during one of history’s darkest chapters.”

“During the Holocaust, the Nazis stripped Jewish families of countless works of art, culture, and heritage. The effects of these atrocities are still being felt today by survivors and their families,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-12). “I was proud to be a lead sponsor of the HEAR Act when it passed in 2016 and am proud to help lead my colleagues in reintroducing the bill today. As a matter of principle, we affirm that in the United States, everyone who has a credible claim deserves to have their day in court. This bill realizes that principle and ensures that every family has the right to a fair and just process based solely on the merits of their claim. We cannot fix the past, but this bill is a promise to the victims of the Holocaust that the United States is committed to creating a fair judicial process for the return of property that was wrongfully stolen during the darkest period of human history.” 

“The Nazis murdered more than 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children under the age of 12.  Looting art and other possessions from Jewish families was an essential part of Hitler’s concerted plan to annihilate the Jewish people. To allow museums here and in Europe, and foreign governments to keep Nazi looted art perpetuates the crimes of the Nazi regime, and demeans the memory of six million Jewish souls.  We applaud Congress for making sure that families can recover their treasured legacies, and that the true history of the Nazis’ brutal campaign of murder and theft cannot be erased or trivialized by the scoundrels who refuse to return looted art,”David Schaecter, Holocaust survivor and President of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA. 

“This legislation renews and strengthens the HEAR Act, which is set to expire, by closing critical loopholes and addressing key oversights. It reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that rightful owners of Nazi-looted art—and their families—receive the restitution they are owed. Any museum that knowingly retains stolen works is complicit in perpetuating the injustice inflicted on Holocaust victims. We have both a moral and legal obligation to correct these wrongs and to ensure the crimes of the Holocaust are neither forgiven nor forgotten,”Joel Greenberg, President of Art Ashes.

“We strongly support this legislation.  Each artwork or object taken during the Holocaust is more than property – it holds the memory of a life, a family, a community culture. Restituting these items is not simply about returning possessions; it is about restoring history, identity, and a measure of justice to those who lost everything,”said Gideon Taylor, President of World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO).

Background: 

The original HEAR Act was passed in 2016 to provide families with a fair opportunity to recover art looted by the Nazis during World War II. It created a six-year window for legal claims, starting from the time a family discovers where their stolen art is located. The law was meant to ensure that cases are decided based on facts, not thrown out due to complicated legal deadlines. However, in recent years, some courts have dismissed these claims using time-based technical defenses, which goes against the original purpose of the law. 

The new bill eliminates the 2026 “sunset clause,” which would have ended the protections offered by the HEAR Act. It also makes clear that as long as a family files within six years of discovering their artwork’s location, their case cannot be dismissed simply because of how much time has passed. This change is especially important as the number of living Holocaust survivors continues to decline.

The bill also responds to a 2021 Supreme Court ruling (Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp) that made it harder to sue foreign governments involved in looting or holding art stolen during the Holocaust. Under this legislation, families will be able to bring claims in U.S. courts as long as the foreign government or museum has ties to the United States. The bill also blocks other legal defenses that could be used to avoid facing the facts in court and allows families to sue foreign defendants if they have any significant contact with the U.S., not just in one state.

The bill is supported by a wide range of respected organizations, including: Art Ashes, Agudath Israel of America, American Jewish Committee (AJC), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Bet Tzedek – House of Justice, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Action Fund, Creative Community for Peace, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Florida Holocaust Museum, Holocaust Center for Humanity (Seattle), Holocaust Museum Houston, Holocaust Museum LA, Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Jewish Women International (JWI), Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (New York), Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center (Cincinnati), Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, StandWithUs, The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, World Jewish Congress, and the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO).