Governor signs bill inspired by marathon bombing survivor

Rhode Island's governor has signed into law a bill inspired by a resident injured in the Boston Marathon bombings who had trouble applying for the state's crime victim compensation fund because the attack happened in Massachusetts.
The state will now be able to compensate Rhode Island residents injured in attacks outside the state. Newport resident Heather Abbott, who lost part of her leg in the 2013 bombings, joined Democratic Government. Gina Raimondo for a signing ceremony yesterday.
Abbott said she was disappointed when the state denied her claim and she had to work through appeals as she was recovering from her injury and trying to pay for prosthetics. "It was another thing to do when you're trying to learn how to walk, and you're on medication, adjusting to getting blown up by a bomb," she said.

The state's fund assists Rhode Island residents and their families if they are victims of violent crime, covering up to USD 25,000 for medical bills, loss of earnings or other costs. The state paid 603 claims last year totalling about USD 1.3 million.
The fund is mostly for victims of Rhode Island crimes, but the existing law included a provision assisting victims of attacks abroad just not in other US states.
General Treasurer Seth Magaziner administers the fund and said the new law clarifies conflicting language that had caused Abbott's original claim to be denied.

"It's one of those bills that once it's signed, we're glad it's there, but we hope we won't have to use it again," he said.

Abbott was watching the April 2013 marathon when she was thrown through the entrance of a restaurant by the force of the second explosion. Her left leg was amputated in a hospital. She formed a nonprofit foundation last year to help other amputees.
Raimondo, who was state treasurer at the time of Abbott's original claim, called her "a woman of remarkable bravery." "It's frankly the least we can do," Raimondo said before signing the law. "It's the right thing to do."
"JASTA is a long-overdue fix-a responsible, balanced
fix-to a law that has extended too large a shield to foreign actors who finance and enable terrorism on a massive scale. The victims of 9-11 and other terrorist attacks have suffered such pain and heartache, but they should not be denied justice and so, I will fight hard in Congress until the House passes this bill and it is signed into law," Schumer said after the passage of the bill.

JASTA amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) so that foreign sponsors of terrorism cannot invoke "sovereign immunity" in cases arising from a terrorist attack that kills someone on American soil.
It also amends the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) so that civil suits against foreign sponsors of terrorism can be held accountable in US courts where their conduct materially supports an attack that kills an American.
JASTA allows terrorism victims, like victims of the September 11th attacks, the opportunity to pursue foreign states who sponsor terrorism in federal court. The bill allows Americans to direct financial damage claims against those who funded the attacks. The legislation would also afford this opportunity to families of other victims of terrorism on US soil that occurred after September 11, 2001.

It also includes an important new tool for the Executive Branch to stay litigation - including related cases, not against the foreign state itself - if the government certifies that it is involved in good faith discussions to resolve the matter. This stay can be extended, the Senator's office said.