S 1884
· 119th Congress
· Law
Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025
Sponsor
Latest action
Became Public Law No: 119-82.
Action timeline
Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.
Apr 13, 2026
signed
Signed by President.
Apr 13, 2026
signed
Became Public Law No: 119-82.
Apr 02, 2026
sent
Presented to President.
Mar 16, 2026
floor
Ms. Lee (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Mar 16, 2026
floor
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2497-2500)
Mar 16, 2026
floor
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1884.
Mar 16, 2026
passed
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2497)
Mar 16, 2026
passed
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2497)
Mar 16, 2026
passed
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Dec 11, 2025
floor
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Dec 11, 2025
floor
Received in the House.
Dec 11, 2025
floor
Held at the desk.
Dec 10, 2025
passed
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
Dec 10, 2025
passed
Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8628-8629; text: CR S8629)
Nov 18, 2025
committee
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with amendments. Without written report.
Judiciary Committee
Nov 18, 2025
other
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 271.
Nov 06, 2025
committee
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
Judiciary Committee
May 22, 2025
introduced
Introduced in Senate
May 22, 2025
introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Judiciary Committee
Text versions
Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.
CRS summaries
Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.
55
Passed Senate
Dec 10, 2025
Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025
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.
via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov
Changelog
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih / is — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh / rfs — Referred to a committee for review.rh / rs — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs / pch — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh / es — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh / rds — Received by the other chamber.eah / eas — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath / ats — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
ⓘ
How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.
ih/is— Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.rfh/rfs— Referred to a committee for review.rh/rs— Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).pcs/pch— Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.eh/es— Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.rdh/rds— Received by the other chamber.eah/eas— Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.ath/ats— Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.enr— Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.pl— Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.pp— Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.
Most bills die before eh/es. Going from pcs → enr is the full path through both chambers.
Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.
+64
−86
57 unchanged
Generating AI summary
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Reading both versions of the bill and writing a plain-English summary. Typical bills take 5–15 seconds; large reconciliation bills can take a minute. This summary will be cached after generation.
--- Engrossed (Senate)
+++ Enrolled
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
-[S. 1884 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
+[S. 1884 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
-<DOC>
+S.1884
-119th CONGRESS
-1st Session
-S. 1884
+One Hundred Nineteenth Congress
-_______________________________________________________________________
+of the
-AN ACT
+United States of America
+
+AT THE SECOND SESSION
+
+Begun and held at the City of Washington on Saturday,
+the third day of January, two thousand and twenty six
+
+An Act
To clarify the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, to
appropriately limit the application of defenses based on the passage of
@@ -17,128 +22,101 @@
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
-
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
-
This Act may be cited as the ``Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery
Act of 2025''.
-
SEC. 2. HOLOCAUST EXPROPRIATED ART RECOVERY ACT OF 2016 IMPROVEMENTS.
-
(a) In General.--The Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of
2016 (22 U.S.C. 1621 note) is amended--
(1) in section 2--
-(A) by redesignating paragraph (8) as paragraph
-(10);
+(A) by redesignating paragraph (8) as paragraph (10);
(B) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
``(8) The intent of this Act is to permit claims to recover
-Nazi-looted art to be brought, notwithstanding the passage of
-time since World War II. Some courts have frustrated the intent
-of this Act by dismissing recovery lawsuits in reliance on
-defenses based on the passage of time, such as laches (for
-example, Zuckerman v Metropolitan Museum of Art, 928 F.3d 186
-(2d Cir. 2019)) or adverse possession, acquisitive
-prescription, or usucapion (for example, Cassirer v. Thyssen-
-Bornemisza Foundation, 89 F.4th 1226 (9th Cir. 2024)) or on
-other non-merits discretionary defenses, such as the act of
-state doctrine (for example, Von Saher v Norton Simon Museum of
-Art at Pasadena, 897 F.3d 1141 (9th Cir. 2018)), forum non
+Nazi-looted art to be brought, notwithstanding the passage of time
+since World War II. Some courts have frustrated the intent of this
+Act by dismissing recovery lawsuits in reliance on defenses based
+on the passage of time, such as laches (for example, Zuckerman v
+Metropolitan Museum of Art, 928 F.3d 186 (2d Cir. 2019)) or adverse
+possession, acquisitive prescription, or usucapion (for example,
+Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation, 89 F.4th 1226 (9th Cir.
+2024)) or on other non-merits discretionary defenses, such as the
+act of state doctrine (for example, Von Saher v Norton Simon Museum
+of Art at Pasadena, 897 F.3d 1141 (9th Cir. 2018)), forum non
conveniens, international comity, or prudential exhaustion. In
order to effectuate the purpose of the Act to permit claims to
recover Nazi-looted art to be resolved on the merits, these
defenses must be precluded.
-``(9) This Act also is intended to allow claims in
-accordance with the procedures under this Act for the recovery
-of artwork or other property lost during the covered period
-because, or as a result, of Nazi persecution, including by a
-covered government (as defined in section 1605(h)(3)(B) of
-title 28, United States Code) or an agent or associate of a
-covered government, regardless of the nationality or
-citizenship of the alleged victim, notwithstanding the
-`domestic takings' rule under Federal Republic of Germany v.
+``(9) This Act also is intended to allow claims in accordance
+with the procedures under this Act for the recovery of artwork or
+other property lost during the covered period because, or as a
+result, of Nazi persecution, including by a covered government (as
+defined in section 1605(h)(3)(B) of title 28, United States Code)
+or an agent or associate of a covered government, regardless of the
+nationality or citizenship of the alleged victim, notwithstanding
+the `domestic takings' rule under Federal Republic of Germany v.
Philipp, 592 U.S. 169 (2021).''; and
-(C) in paragraph (10), as so redesignated, by
-striking ``will yield just and fair resolutions in a
-more efficient and predictable manner'' and inserting
-``may, in some circumstances, yield just and fair
-resolutions as well'';
+(C) in paragraph (10), as so redesignated, by striking
+``will yield just and fair resolutions in a more efficient and
+predictable manner'' and inserting ``may, in some
+circumstances, yield just and fair resolutions as well'';
(2) in section 3(2), by inserting ``and other non-merits
defenses'' after ``statutes of limitation'';
(3) in section 5--
(A) by striking subsection (g);
-(B) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as
-subsections (h) and (i), respectively;
-(C) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d)
-as subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively;
-(D) by inserting after subsection (a) the
-following:
+(B) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections
+(h) and (i), respectively;
+(C) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) as
+subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively;
+(D) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Relation to Foreign State Immunities.--Notwithstanding any
other law or prior judicial decision, any civil claim or cause of
action covered by subsection (a) shall be deemed to be an action in
which rights in violation of international law are in issue for
purposes of section 1605(a)(3) of title 28, United States Code, without
regard to the nationality or citizenship of the alleged victim.'';
-(E) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, in the
-matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
-``subsection (e)'' and inserting ``subsection (h)'';
+(E) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, in the matter
+preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``subsection (e)'' and
+inserting ``subsection (h)'';
(F) in subsection (e), as so redesignated--
-(i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1),
-by striking ``Subsection (a)'' and inserting
-``Subsections (a), (b), (f), and (g)''; and
-(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``during
-the period'' and all that follows and inserting
-``on or after the date of enactment of this
-Act.''; and
-(G) by inserting after subsection (e), as so
-redesignated, the following:
+(i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
+``Subsection (a)'' and inserting ``Subsections (a), (b),
+(f), and (g)''; and
+(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``during the
+period'' and all that follows and inserting ``on or after
+the date of enactment of this Act.''; and
+(G) by inserting after subsection (e), as so redesignated,
+the following:
``(f) Defenses Based on Passage of Time and Other Non-Merits
Defenses.--With respect to any claim that is otherwise timely under
this Act--
``(1) all defenses or substantive doctrines based on the
-passage of time, including laches, adverse possession,
-acquisitive prescription, and usucapion, may not be applied
-with respect to the claim; and
+passage of time, including laches, adverse possession, acquisitive
+prescription, and usucapion, may not be applied with respect to the
+claim; and
``(2) all non-merits discretionary bases for dismissal,
-including the act of state doctrine, international comity,
-forum non conveniens, prudential exhaustion, and similar
-doctrines unrelated to the merits, may not be applied with
-respect to the claim.
+including the act of state doctrine, international comity, forum
+non conveniens, prudential exhaustion, and similar doctrines
+unrelated to the merits, may not be applied with respect to the
+claim.
``(g) Nationwide Service of Process.--For a civil action brought
under subsection (a) in any State or Federal court, process may be
served in the judicial district where the case is brought or any other
judicial district of the United States where the defendant may be
found, resides, has an agent, or transacts business.''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
-
``SEC. 6. SEVERABILITY.
-
``If any provision of this Act, or the application of a provision
of this Act to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the
remainder of this Act, and the application of such provision to other
persons and circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.''.
(b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to any civil claim or cause of action that is--
-(1) pending in any court on the date of enactment of this
-Act, including any civil claim or cause of action that is
-pending on appeal or for which the time to file an appeal has
-not expired; or
+(1) pending in any court on the date of enactment of this Act,
+including any civil claim or cause of action that is pending on
+appeal or for which the time to file an appeal has not expired; or
(2) filed on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
-Passed the Senate December 10, 2025.
+Speaker of the House of Representatives.
-Attest:
-
-Secretary.
-119th CONGRESS
-
-1st Session
-
-S. 1884
-
-_______________________________________________________________________
-
-AN ACT
-
-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.
+Vice President of the United States and
+President of the Senate.
Cosponsors (21)
Members who signed on to support this bill.