Prepared Statement by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee

Executive Business Meeting

September 15, 2016

 

Today we have three bills and two judicial nominees on the agenda.

The nominees on the agenda are ripe for a vote. They are:

-           Lucy Koh, 9th Circuit

-           Florence Pan, District of Columbia

I’ll have more to say about the nominees when we turn to them. The three bills on the agenda are ready to be reported today.

The first bill, S. 2763, the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act (HEAR Act), will aid the recovery of artwork and other property stolen by the Nazi regime and return it to its rightful owners and families.

It’s been said that the artwork and other property the Nazi regime stole from their rightful owners represents “the greatest displacement of art in human history.” So this important bipartisan legislation seeks to remove some of the time-based defenses that unfairly bar the rightful owners from reclaiming their family’s artwork.

The Sponsors have been working very closely with the various stakeholders and I appreciate all the hard work of Senators Cornyn, Schumer, Cruz and Blumenthal, as well as the stakeholders, to reach an agreement on this important legislation.

I look forward to supporting this bill and sending it to the Floor today. And I ask consent that my name be added as a co-sponsor. Without objection, it’ll be added.

Today, we’ll also consider another piece of legislation related to artwork, the Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act. This bipartisan legislation is critical for art museums across the country, including in Iowa, to be able to bring artwork from around the world here to the United States to be displayed in art exhibits.

I also look forward to supporting this bipartisan bill. And I ask that my name be added to the list of co-sponsors. Without objection, it’ll be added.

The next bill on our agenda is S. 3270, the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act.  Senator Blumenthal and I collaborated closely on its development.  Earlier this year, I chaired a hearing before this Committee in which we learned that fraud and scams targeting seniors are widespread and growing. 

This bill tackles the financial exploitation of older Americans, which has been called the crime of the 21st century. It calls for enhanced training of federal investigators and prosecutors, and it would ensure that each judicial district has at least one prosecutor who is tasked with handling cases of elder abuse. The bill would require the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to each appoint an elder justice coordinator, giving states and victims a visible point-of-contact in the federal government. Finally, the bill adds stronger criminal and civil penalties for those convicted of defrauding seniors.  This will send a strong message to other would-be fraudsters.

Better information sharing, stronger enforcement, and increased public awareness will make society a safer place for our loved ones who deserve to be treated with dignity after a lifetime of service to their families and communities.  Groups supporting this bill include US Against Alzheimer’s, the 60 Plus Association, the 3,000-member Elder Justice Coalition, SIFMA, the American Bar Association, and Consumers Union, the National Center for Victims of Crime, as well as the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators.  I have a number of letters of support here that I’d like to have included in the record, without objection. 

With that I’ll turn to the Ranking Member and then we’ll turn to the agenda and to any Senators wishing to offer amendments or speak on any agenda items.

 

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