Bill to Bring Justice to Killers of Naftali Fraenkel Passes Senate, and Passes House Foreign Affairs Committee

Sherman is Chief Democratic Proponent of House Bill

Washington, DC – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the terrorism subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, applauded the unanimous passage of H.R. 5041, the Naftali Fraenkel Rewards for Justice Act of 2014 in the House Foreign Affairs Committee today. 

Sherman is the chief democratic cosponsor of this bipartisan bill to offer a reward of up to $5 million under the U.S. Rewards for Justice program for information leading to the capture of the Hamas terrorists who kidnapped and murdered Naftali Fraenkel, the Israeli teen who was also an American citizen.  Congressman Doug Lamborn is the chief sponsor of the house bill. 
Senator Ted Cruz sponsored the bill in the Senate with the support and cosponsorship of Senator Robert Menendez.  The bill was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 21, 2014.  Last night, the full Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent.

“I thank my House and Senate colleagues, including Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, for advancing this bill.  We should pass this bill into law.  While Israeli security forces look for those who not only perpetrated but organized and aided this horrendous killing, we should do our share in the effort to bring these murderers to justice as Naftali Fraenkel was a U.S. citizen.” 
Under the Rewards for Justice program, the Secretary of State “may offer rewards for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of anyone who plans, commits, or attempts international terrorist acts against U.S. persons,” according to the State Department.   

On June 12, 2014, three Jewish teens were kidnapped and killed by Hamas terrorists. One of the boys, Naftali Fraenkel, was a dual American-Israeli citizen. 

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