Legislation Addresses Financial Burden for Survivors Whose Rights Were Violated by Federal Government

Washington, D.C. — This week, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (D-NC), alongside Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) introduced the Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act, first-of-its-kind legislation that would create a restitution fund in the judicial branch for survivors of sexual violence whose rights were violated by the federal government, including survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

 

The Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act would make a historic investment to support survivors of sexual violence and hold the federal government accountable when it fails to protect survivors’ rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. Research estimates that rape suvivors face  $122,461 in lifetime costs, including medical expenses, lost work productivity, and legal fees. This legislation would help ease some of the financial and personal burden survivors can carry for years, from medical bills and lost income to housing instability and enduring trauma.

 

“Far too often, we have seen our government fail survivors of sexual violence who have risked everything to come forward,” said Congresswoman Deborah Ross. “Trauma is often just one part of the burden survivors carry, and it is often compounded by lost income, housing insecurity, and economic hardship. We have seen this play out in the administration’s treatment of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse, who have been dismissed and demonized. Now more than ever, we must ensure all survivors receive the justice they deserve. I am proud to introduce this bill to establish a first-of-its-kind economic relief fund for survivors of sexual violence.”

 

“The financial, physical, and emotional trauma that survivors of sexual violence carry is a lifetime sentence,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “By no choice of their own, survivors can incur debilitating costs due to medical needs, lost income, housing instability, and mental health support. Far too often, the federal government has been complicit and failed to meet its moral and legal obligation to fight for accountability and relieve this economic burden—our bill would change that by holding our government, abusers, and their co-conspirators to account and helping our survivors get on a pathway to healing. The ignored burden that survivors carry is a stain in our legal system and must be addressed immediately.”

 

“Survivors should never have to pay the price when our government fails to protect them,” said Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández. “For too long, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific abuse were denied justice while powerful people were protected. That failure has real costs: lost wages, medical bills, housing instability, and trauma that can last a lifetime. We cannot undo the harm, but we can make sure survivors are not left to carry the burden alone. The Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act gives survivors that path to restitution.”

 

To support survivors of sexual violence and empower survivors who choose to come forward, the Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act would:

 

• Establish the Survivors’ Rights Restitution Program to provide compensation to eligible victims for harm and losses.
• Create an independent Office of Special Adjudicators for Survivors Restitution within the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to review petitions and determine awards through a streamlined, non-adversarial, and trauma-informed process.
• Establish the Survivors Rights Restitution Fund within the Department of the Treasury to finance awards through federal forfeiture proceeds tied to trafficking and sexual exploitation offenses, voluntary contributions, and authorized appropriations.

 

The bill is cosponsored by: Reps. Yassamin Ansari, Becca Balint, Joyce Beatty, Wesley Bell, Brendan Boyle, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Yvette Clarke, Lou Correa, Jim Costa, Madeleine Dean, Maxine Dexter, Debbie Dingell, Maxwell Frost, Robert Garcia, Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, Sylvia Garcia, Adelita Grijalva, Hank Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Summer Lee, Stephen Lynch, Sarah McBride, Jennifer McClellan, LaMonica McIver, Christian Menefee, Kweisi Mfume, Gwen Moore, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chellie Pingree, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Andrea Salinas, Lateefah Simon, Melanie Stansbury, Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, James Walkinshaw, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Frederica Wilson.

 

This bill is endorsed by: Democratic Women’s Caucus; World Without Exploitation; me too. International; Women’s HQ; UltraViolet Action; National Alliance to End Sexual Violence; Safe Exit Initiative; RIA, Inc.; National Alliance to End Sexual Violence; Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA); My Life My Choice; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Women's Law Center Action Fund; Boston Area Rape Crisis Center; Survivor Justice Network; Equal Rights Advocates; Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA); Victim Rights Law Center; Them Apples Music; Justice for Migrant Women; Esperanza United; National Women's Political Caucus; Feminist Majority; Legal Momentum, the Women's Legal Defense & Education Fund; South Asian SOAR.

 

“Sex trafficking survivors are often asked to take enormous risks to report their abuse and cooperate with the justice system, only to find that the same institutions demanding their trust can fail to protect their rights,” said Becca Zipkin, Vice President of Policy and Programs, World Without Exploitation. “Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein experienced that failure in one of the most public cases imaginable, but they are far from alone. At World Without Exploitation, we work alongside survivors who know that justice must include changing the systems that allow exploitation to flourish and holding institutions accountable when they fail the people they are supposed to protect. The Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act is an important step toward that goal by giving survivors a meaningful path to redress when the federal government violates their rights. It also recognizes something survivors have long told us — economic justice is survivor justice.”

 

“As a survivor who has worked alongside thousands of survivors I’m clear that the full story of what it actually takes to survive is not often told. Alongside the mental, physical and emotional toll of the violence that we endured is the financial burden of untangling the web that the trauma creates to try and find our way back to ourselves - there is an actual cost to that work and it’s rare that we have support footing that bill. This country and our government has to ask itself what does it owe survivors? Rep. Pressley is doing her part to begin answering that question,” said Tarana Burke, Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer, Me Too

 

“Survivors have been paying the price for their assault for far too long,” said Liz Speakman, Executive Director, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. “We know that money is not what heals trauma but it goes a long way to providing the space, time and resources to make the path a little easier.”

 

“Survivors should not have to spend decades paying for crimes committed against us. When institutions fail us, that failure becomes generational trauma. We deserve privacy, dignity, and restitution—not someday, but now. Congresswoman Pressley’s bill gives survivors a path forward,” said Dani Bensky, survivor and advocate.

 

"As a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, I am heartened by the introduction of the Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act of 2026. This vital legislation not only acknowledges our trauma but also provides a pathway to justice with meaningful compensation. It's time for Congress to act swiftly, reinforcing that survivors deserve to be heard, believed, and supported in our healing journey,” said Lara Blume McGee, Survivor and CEO of Team Up World.

 

Bill text is available here.

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