Fairness To 9/11 Families Act Introduced By Bucks Co. Congressman

WASHINGTON, DC — Bucks County Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) on Tuesday introduced the Fairness for 9/11 Families Technical Fix Act, bipartisan legislation that corrects procedural gaps in current law and ensures that Havlish Settling Judgment Creditors — 9/11 families with final federal court judgments — receive the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism (VSST) Fund payments already allocated to them and regain full eligibility in future distributions.

“Nothing can ever repay the families who lost so much on September 11th, but we can — and must — ensure they receive every benefit and protection this nation promised them. This legislation honors that duty,” said Fitzpatrick. “By releasing VSST payments held in escrow and restoring full eligibility for future distributions, this bill sets right what has been wrong for far too long and ensures that no 9/11 family is ever left at the margins of the law again. It is keeping faith with those we pledged never to forget.”

“Congressman Fitzpatrick and I have worked together for many years now to ensure 9/11 families are never left behind — not in memory, not in policy, and not in the support they are owed," said Ellen Saracini of Lower Makefield, the widow of Captain Victor J. Saracini, United Flight 175, and national aviation safety advocate. "Yet a small group of Havlish plaintiffs have waited far too long for VSST payments already allocated to them. The Fairness for 9/11 Families Technical Fix Act finally makes this right by releasing those funds and restoring their full access going forward. I urge every Member of Congress to join us in this bipartisan commitment to fairness and deliver relief the families should have received long ago."

Key Provisions of the Fairness for 9/11 Families Technical Fix Act

• Releases all VSST Fund payments currently held in escrow for Havlish Settling Judgment Creditors.
• Restores full eligibility for the Havlish plaintiffs to participate in future VSST payment rounds on equal footing with all other qualifying claimants.
• Creates a statutory exception clarifying that prior elections or conditional payment applications do not limit the plaintiffs’ rights under the VSST program.
• Applies retroactively to ensure that no family is disadvantaged due to administrative delays or timing of the original allocation.
• Authorizes no new federal spending, providing a fiscally responsible correction that fulfills existing commitments to 9/11 families.

Congressman Fitzpatrick has been a bipartisan champion for 9/11 families and national aviation security. His partnership with Saracini has resulted in some of the most consequential aviation security improvements since the September 11 attacks:

• Saracini Aviation Safety Act (2018): Fitzpatrick authored the law requiring secondary cockpit barriers on all newly manufactured commercial aircraft.
• Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act (2023): He later led passage of legislation extending this requirement to the entire existing U.S. commercial fleet. This bipartisan, bicameral reform was signed into law as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, establishing the strongest cockpit-security standard in American history.