N002424
January 16, 2002
Mr. Kenneth R. Feinberg
Special Master
Office of the Victim Compensation Fund Program
U.S. Department of Justice
Main Building, Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Mr. Feinberg:
We are writing on behalf of our constituents throughout Connecticut who are the families of the
victims
of September 11, 2001. Specifically, we are concerned about the deadline of January 22, 2002
for
submitting comments on the Interim Final Rule implementing Public Law 107-42.
We have heard from many families since the proposed rules and regulations of the September
11th
Victim Compensation Fund were officially published on December 21, 2001. Although the
comment
period is for approximately one month, many families feel the interruption of the holiday season
has
impeded their ability to comprehensively review the content of the Interim Final Rule. Because
the
Final Rule will determine the rules and regulations by which compensation packages will be
awarded to
each victim's family, we feel it is imperative that a complete understanding of this information is
critical
to ensuring that families make a well-informed decision regarding their participation in the Fund.
While we fully understand that your office is eager to move forward in settling claims for these
families,
it is also important to note that should a family choose to make a claim with this Fund, they
waive their
right to pursue most other legal options. Therefore, we respectfully ask that you extend the
comment
period for a minimum of two weeks to give these families the time they need and deserve to
make such a
critically important decision.
Thank you, in advance, for your time and consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Dodd
United States Senator
Joseph I. Lieberman
United States Senator
Christopher Shays
Member of Congress