W000599

Monday, November 26, 2001 2:38 PM
Survivor Definitions

Kenneth L. Zwick, Director
Office of Management Programs
Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Main Building, Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Mr. Zwick:

First of all I would like to thank the DOJ for encouraging the use of email as a way to submit public comments on the issue of victim compensation after the tragic Sept. 11 attack.

I am writing to urge your department to write the regulations to carry out the intent and spirit of the law by compensating all of those who suffered both grievous emotional loss from these murders, and significant financial loss as well. I believe that the federal government should provide such compensation as is appropriate to all of those who had a close relationship with the murdered victim and whose own financial position will be seriously adversely affected by the death. Relevant indicators of such a relationship include a shared residence, shared bank accounts for other financial instruments, joint membership in a health plan, a significant sharing of living expenses, etc. Obviously a wide range of different personal relationships will be covered by this, and we believe that this coverage is wholly appropriate in this instance. We note that this is the approach taken by Republican Governor George Pataki of New York, where so many of the victims live.

Individual Comment
Minneapolis, MN

Attached:
1. Letter to AG Ashcroft from a bipartisan group of Congress Members on this subject
2. Washington Post Article that features a woman struggling with this
issue in Virginia

Attachment 1:
November 15, 2001

The Honorable John Ashcroft
Attorney General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Mr. Attorney General,

We applaud the approach you are taking in soliciting wide public comment in fulfilling your legislative mandate to promulgate regulations governing the distribution of funds voted by Congress and approved by the President for victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11.

Because it was important for us to act speedily, the legislation of necessity sets out broad guidelines and leaves to you and your department the job of providing specificity so that these funds can be distributed fairly and expeditiously.

We write to express our view on one aspect of this important set of questions which is before you -- namely, we urge that in creating the category of those who qualify as "survivors of someone lost in the crashes", (Topic 5, Notice of Inquiry), we can best carry out the intent and spirit of the law by compensating all of those who suffered both grievous emotional loss from these murders, and significant financial loss as well.

That is, we believe that the federal government should provide such compensation as is appropriate to all of those who had a close relationship with the murdered victim and whose own financial position will be seriously adversely affected by the death. Relevant indicia of such a relationship include a shared residence, shared bank accounts for other financial instruments, joint membership in a health plan, a significant sharing of living expenses, etc. Obviously a wide range of different personal relationships will be covered by this, and we believe that this coverage is wholly appropriate in this instance. We note that this is the approach taken by Governor George Pataki of New York, where so many of the victims live.

The act we passed was not an effort by the Congress to regulate any set of personal relationships, nor to encourage or discourage people from following any particular pattern in their living arrangements. It was simply a prompt response by the Congress to the terrible murders inflicted on America on September 11, in particular by doing what we can to come to the aid of those who were particularly victimized by the deaths of people close to them. Aiding all of this latter category of victims seems to us the appropriate response.

Rep. Christopher Shays		Rep. Rob Simmons
Rep. Benjamin Gilman		Rep. Joseph Crowley
Rep. Barney Frank		Rep. Sherwood Boehlert
Rep. Maurice Hinchey		Rep. David Wu
Rep. Jim McGovern		Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest
Rep. Amo Houghton		Rep. James Leach
Rep. Anthony Weiner		Rep. Jim Kolbe
Rep. Edolphus Towns		Rep. Charles Rangel
Rep. Nancy Johnson		Rep. Connie Morella
Rep. Major R. Owens		Rep. Jerrold Nadler
Rep. Sherrod Brown		Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Rep. Sue Kelly		Rep. Carolyn McCarthy
Rep. Mark Foley		Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.
Rep. José E. Serrano		Rep. Eliot L. Engel
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez		Rep. Robert Menendez
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro		Rep. Stephen Horn
Rep. John M. McHugh		Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen		Rep. Nita Lowey
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter		Rep. Michael R. McNulty
Rep. Steve Israel		Rep. Tammy Baldwin
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks		Rep. Jim Maloney
Rep. Rush Holt		Rep. John B. Larson
Rep. Mark Kirk

Attachment 2:
Washington Post, November 25, 2001


Individual Comment
Minneapolis, MN

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