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H.R. 5949 114th Congress House

Victims Before Ransom Act

Official title: To prohibit the use of funds to make payments to Iran relating to the settlement of claims brought before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal until Iran has… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To prohibit the use of funds to make payments to Iran relating to the settlement of claims brought before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal until Iran has paid certain compensatory damages awarded to United States persons by United States courts.

Introduced: September 7, 2016 See on congress.gov
International Affairs Congressional oversightDiplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroadGovernment liabilityInternational law and treaties
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IranMiddle EastTerrorism
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 7, 2016
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Sep 7, 2016
Introduced in House
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 Latest action September 7, 2016

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Victims Before Ransom Act

This bill prohibits the use of funds by the United States to make a payment to the government of Iran or an Iranian national relating to the settlement of any claim before the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal until the President certifies to Congress that Iran has paid all compensatory damages awarded to a U.S. person or entity in a final judgment of a federal or state court arising from an act of international terrorism for which the government of Iran was determined not to be immune from the court's jurisdiction.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 2452 A bill to prohibit the use of funds to make payments to Iran relating to the settlement of claims brought before the Ir…
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5949: Victims Before Ransom Act. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5949/
MLA
"H.R. 5949: Victims Before Ransom Act." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5949/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5949, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5949/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5949: Victims Before Ransom Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-5949/)
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