Schumer Announces Unanimous Passage of Legislation to Help Recover Nazi-confiscated Art

Statement

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that both chambers of Congress have unanimously passed the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act (HEAR) Act. The bill is now headed to the President's desk. Specifically, Schumer's HEAR Act will help facilitate the return of artwork lost to Nazis during the Holocaust to their rightful owners or heirs, and will ensure that American law encourages the resolution of claims on Nazi-confiscated art on the merits, in a fair and just manner. Doing so is consistent with long-standing U.S. foreign policy, as demonstrated in the 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the 2009 Terezin Declaration. The legislation was introduced by Schumer and Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

"While we can never right the wrong of the Holocaust, it is our moral duty to ensure that the survivors and heirs are given the opportunity to bring their family heirlooms, including stolen art work, back home. Decades after the Holocaust, survivors and families of victims are still identifying possessions that have been missing all these years. Now that this bill has passed Congress, I am urging President Obama to quickly sign it so that these long-aggrieved families achieve some justice," said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.