To clarify the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, to appropriately limit the application of defenses based on the passage of time and other non-merits defenses to claims under that Act.

U.S. Congress · HR4235 · In Committee

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What the bill says

HR4235 · U.S. Congress · In Committee

Introduced 2025-06-27. Latest action: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

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Summary (plain-language)

This bill permanently extends and expands judicial authority under the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016. The law allows and establishes procedures for civil claims and causes of action to recover artwork and other property lost between 1933 and 1945 because of Nazi persecution. Among the changes, the bill removes the deadline for filing civil claims or causes of action. Currently, the filing deadline is December 31, 2026. (Claims must still be filed within six years of the claimant's discovery of the property in question.) The bill permits courts to exercise jurisdiction over civil claims or causes of action against a foreign state without regard to the nationality or citizenship of the alleged victim. The art or property at issue must still have a connection to the foreign state's commercial activities in the United States. Additionally, the bill authorizes nationwide service of process, which allows courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over defendants in any judicial district where they may be found, reside, have an agent, or transact business. Finally, the bill limits the defenses that may be asserted against civil claims or causes of action, including by prohibiting defenses based on the passage of time, including equitable defenses such as laches (i.e., unreasonable delays); and discretionary bases for dismissal that are unrelated to the merits of the claim, including international comity (i.e., deference to the laws of other countries). These changes apply to pending and future civil claims or causes of action.

Text versions

Introduced in House — 2025-06-27 — XML

What analysts say

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What politicians say

No linked claims or utterances yet — no one on record has cited this measure to justify a public argument.

Action History

Date	Action
2025-06-27	Introduced in House
2025-06-27	Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Lobbying on this bill

Showing 8 of 8 bill mentions.

Honesty note: each filer below disclosed lobbying on this bill — that much the filing tells us. But the dollar figure is their total lobbying spend for the whole quarter across all their issues, not the amount spent on this bill, and the filing never says whether they supported or opposed it.

Registrant (lobbying firm)	Client	Period	Reported quarterly amount	Extraction
CORCORAN & ASSOCIATES, INC. DBA CORCORAN PARTNERS	ART RESTITUTION TO ASSIST SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST EMERGENCY SERVICES FDN.	Q2 2026	$20,000	Explicit
ACG ADVOCACY	ART ASHES	Q2 2026	$30,000	Explicit
ACG ADVOCACY	ART ASHES	Q1 2026	$50,000	Explicit
CORCORAN & ASSOCIATES, INC. DBA CORCORAN PARTNERS	ART RESTITUTION TO ASSIST SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST EMERGENCY SERVICES FDN.	Q1 2026	$30,000	Explicit
ACG ADVOCACY	ART ASHES	Q1 2026	$50,000	Explicit
MAYER BROWN LLP	WORLD JEWISH RESTITUTION ORGANIZATION	Q1 2026	not reported	Probable
WORLD JEWISH RESTITUTION ORGANIZATION	WORLD JEWISH RESTITUTION ORGANIZATION	Q1 2026	not reported	Probable
REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION	REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION	Q1 2026	$100,000	Probable

Source: Senate LDA filings.