WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced, “The Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act.” This legislation is vital to restoring justice to the victims of this heinous government run program. The bill ensures these victims receive restitution payments without conflicting with any other programs.

The legislation is an effort to further assist living victims receiving payments from any current or future state eugenics compensation program by excluding the compensation payments from being used in determining eligibility for, or the amount of, federal public benefits.

“We’ve identified some two hundred North Carolinians who were forcibly sterilized and we’ve set aside funding to provide restitution to them for the wrong that was done to them by the state. Now, since I’ve been up in the U.S Senate we’ve identified one possible problem, or a challenge that we want to eliminate for the victims as they receive their restitution payments,” said Senator Tillis. “The payments themselves could actually cause them not to qualify for certain programs and we think that’s wrong. That’s just victimizing these victims once again. So I’ve worked with members of the Senate, both sides of the aisle, to file a bill that will prevent that from occurring. I think it is the right thing to do and I encourage other states to follow North Carolina’s lead.”

Watch here as Senator Tillis explains the legislation in more detail and why he’s working to correct a past wrong of the state.