This bill became law on 2026-04-13 as Public Law No. 119-82.
The summary below describes the bill at the version we last reviewed; the enacted text may differ.
YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesCorporate BenefitsTransparency & AccountabilityJudges can no longer throw out Nazi-looted art claims for taking too long — cases must be decided on the facts.
Civil Liberties
Judges used to end these cases without looking at the facts, citing long delay or respect for other countries' courts. Those grounds are now off limits, so the case turns on who owns the art.
Claims had to be filed by December 31, 2026. That window is now open-ended, though a claimant still has six years from the date they actually find the art and learn they have a claim.
In 2021 the Supreme Court said a country taking from its own citizens does not break international law. That blocked many heirs; these claims now qualify anyway, if the art is tied to that government's U.S. business.
Court papers must reach the person being sued. They can now be handed over in any state where that person lives, works, or has an agent.
The new rules also cover claims filed before the law passed. That takes in cases on appeal, so a case thrown out for delay may get a new look.
Corporate Benefits
Museums, galleries, and private owners used to win these cases by saying the heirs waited too long. They also said that years of holding the art made it theirs; neither works now.
Transparency & Accountability
The 2016 law was written to shut off on January 1, 2027, which would have forced Congress to renew it. That deadline is struck, so the law stays in place until Congress changes it.
More about this bill
Most people will see no change in daily life. This law is for families of Holocaust victims trying to get back art the Nazis stole. Federal law already let them sue in U.S. courts. But some judges dismissed those cases without ruling on who owns the art. They pointed to long delays, or to rules about respecting other countries' courts. Judges can no longer use those reasons to throw out these claims. The 2016 law was set to expire on January 1, 2027. That end date is gone. The December 31, 2026 cutoff to file is gone too. Heirs can also sue a foreign government here, even if the victim was that country's own citizen. A claim can now reach an owner living in another state. The changes took effect April 13, 2026, and cover cases already in court.
Congressional Summary
Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025This act 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 act 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 act 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 act 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 act limits the defenses that may be asserted against civil claims or causes of action, including by prohibitingdefenses based on the passage of time, including equitable defenses such as laches (i.e., unreasonable delays); anddiscretionary 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.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Public Law
- Action Date
- 2026-04-13
- Date Added
- 2026-05-28
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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