P000623
Patsy T Mink
Congress of the United States
2nd District, Hawaii
January 25, 2002
Kenneth R. Feinberg
Special Master
September 11 Victim Compensation Fund
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington DC 20530
Dear Mr. Feinberg:
Re: September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Interim Rule
28 CFR Part 104
The Victim Compensation Fund is designed to provide a fair and expeditious means of
compensating families so they
do not have to enter into protracted legal battles.
Developing a fair system is a very daunting challenge, but I want to draw your attention to two
areas that require
your attention.
Please review the compensation amounts to ensure they are reasonable. I have been informed
that you established
payouts equivalent to those given to police officers and members of the military who are killed
in the line of duty.
Payments traditionally given to police officers and members of the military may not be suitable
in this situation
because the people who lost their lives on September 11th lived drastically different lifestyles
with significantly
lower risks.
Although Public Law 107-42 requires you to deduct life insurance and other similar payments ,
please modify the
proposed rules to guarantee that every claimant will receive a fair payment. I urge you to
establish general
guidelines explaining how you will use your discretionary power to make awards in
extraordinary circumstances to
help those who do not receive fair payments.
The finalized regulations must make sure that the victims' families receive the full and fair
compensation they were
promised by Congress.
Very truly yours,
COMMENT BY:
Patsy T. Mink
Member of Congress
Washington, DC