Biological Weapons Enhanced Penalties Act of 1996

Biological Weapons Enhanced Penalties Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal criminal code to include within the scope of prohibitions relating to biological weapons: (1) attempts to acquire biological agents, toxins, recombinant molecules, or delivery systems under false pretenses; and (2) specified actions with respect to recombinant molecules.

Includes within the definition of: (1) "biological agent" certain naturally occurring or bioengineered components of a microorganism, virus, or infectious substance; (2) "toxin" the toxic material of plants, animals, microorganisms, viruses, fungi, or infectious substances; (3) "vector" a molecule, including a recombinant molecule, capable of carrying a biological agent or toxin to a host; and (4) "weapon of mass destruction" any weapon involving a biological agent or toxin.

Includes, within the scope of provisions prohibiting and setting penalties for use of weapons of mass destruction, threatening to use such weapons.

[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3051 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3051

  To amend title 18, United States Code, to further restrict certain 
   activities relating to biological weapons, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 1996

Mr. Kennedy of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. Kasich, and Mr. Markey) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 18, United States Code, to further restrict certain 
   activities relating to biological weapons, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Biological Weapons Enhanced 
Penalties Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. ATTEMPTS TO ACQUIRE UNDER FALSE PRETENSES.

    Section 175(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ``attempts to acquire under false pretenses,'' after 
``acquires,''.

SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF RECOMBINANT MOLECULES.

    Section 175 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ``recombinant molecules,'' after ``toxin,'' each place it 
appears.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 178 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``or naturally occurring 
        or bioengineered component of any such microorganism, virus, or 
        infectious substance,'' after ``infectious substance'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by inserting ``the toxic material of plants, 
                animals, microorganisms, viruses, fungi, or infectious 
                substances'' after ``means''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, and includes'' after 
                ``production'';
            (3) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``or a molecule, 
        including a recombinant molecule,'' after ``organism''.

SEC. 5. THREATENING USE OF CERTAIN WEAPONS.

    Section 2332a of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ``, threatens,'' after ``uses, or''.

SEC. 6. INCLUSION OF RECOMBINANT MOLECULES AND BIOLOGICAL ORGANISMS IN 
              DEFINITION.

    Section 2332a(b)(2)(C) of title 18, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ``disease organism'' and inserting ``biological agent or 
toxin, as those terms are defined in section 178''.
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