Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the manager, Mr. Cohen; the chairman of the committee; both sponsors; the lead sponsor, Mr. Nadler of New York…”

“I thank the manager, Mr. Cohen; the chairman of the committee; both sponsors; the lead sponsor, Mr. Nadler of New York; and I thank the ranking member, Mr. Conyers. I rise in strong support of H.R. 6130, the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016. I am very grateful that my colleagues have brought this to the attention of the House. This important legislation tries to bring some remedy and solace to a devastating era of genocide, the Holocaust. It provides the victims of Holocaust-era persecution and genocide and their heirs a fair opportunity to recover works of art confiscated or misappropriated by the Nazis, and there were many. People wishing to claim ownership of art lost or confiscated during the Holocaust would have the proper time necessary to do so under H.R. 6130. The bill would apply to art and other antiquities, such as books, that were stolen from Jewish people and other persecuted groups by the German Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. In the times that I visited Israel, I have spent much time in the Holocaust Museum, as I have spent time in the Holocaust exhibit and tribute here in Washington, and our own Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas. I have been on the advisory board of the Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas, and have participated in the Holocaust ceremonies here. This is a very important legal remedy.…”