WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Monday that would allow the lawsuit of 17 American ex-prisoners of war to go forward.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, is the bill's sponsor.

On a voice vote, the House approved the Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act.

The measure aims at helping 17 military veterans who were tortured during the 1991 Gulf War.

The veterans are seeking payment from the Iraq government.

They filed a lawsuit in 2002 and won a nearly $1 billion judgment in federal district court.

After the 2003 invasion, however, the Bush administration intervened and an appellate court sided with it, ruling U.S. law didn't permit the prisoners to sue the Iraqi government, just the individuals who were involved.

The Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal, which prompted Congress to add language to a defense policy bill last year to allow the suit to go forward.

Bush vetoed it, however.

The White House said Iraq's fragile democracy couldn't afford to have its funds entangled in a lawsuit aimed at Saddam Hussein's misdeeds.

"Today, the House took a step toward providing justice for tortured American veterans," Braley said in a statement Monday.

Nicole Buseman, a Braley spokeswoman, said there isn't a companion bill in the Senate yet but they hope to move the measure forward before the year runs out.

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.