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Title II — Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism

H.R. 1073 · 113th Congress · May 21, 2013 · Lineage

II Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism

Sec. 201 New section 2332i of title 18, United States Code

(a)
In general— Chapter 113B of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding after section 2332h the following:

“2332i. Acts of nuclear terrorism

“(a) Offenses

“(1) In general—Whoever knowingly and unlawfully—

“(A) possesses radioactive material or makes or possesses a device—

“(i) with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury; or

“(ii) with the intent to cause substantial damage to property or the environment; or

“(B) uses in any way radioactive material or a device, or uses or damages or interferes with the operation of a nuclear facility in a manner that causes the release of or increases the risk of the release of radioactive material, or causes radioactive contamination or exposure to radiation—

“(i) with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury or with the knowledge that such act is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury;

“(ii) with the intent to cause substantial damage to property or the environment or with the knowledge that such act is likely to cause substantial damage to property or the environment; or

“(iii) with the intent to compel a person, an international organization or a country to do or refrain from doing an act,

“(2) Threats—Whoever, under circumstances in which the threat may reasonably be believed, threatens to commit an offense under paragraph (1) shall be punished as prescribed in subsection (c). Whoever demands possession of or access to radioactive material, a device or a nuclear facility by threat or by use of force shall be punished as prescribed in subsection (c).

“(3) Attempts and conspiracies—Whoever attempts to commit an offense under paragraph (1) or conspires to commit an offense under paragraph (1) or (2) shall be punished as prescribed in subsection (c).

“(b) Jurisdiction—Conduct prohibited by subsection (a) is within the jurisdiction of the United States if—

“(1) the prohibited conduct takes place in the United States or the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States;

“(2) the prohibited conduct takes place outside of the United States and—

“(A) is committed by a national of the United States, a United States corporation or legal entity or a stateless person whose habitual residence is in the United States;

“(B) is committed on board a vessel of the United States or a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States (as defined in section 70502 of title 46) or on board an aircraft that is registered under United States law, at the time the offense is committed; or

“(C) is committed in an attempt to compel the United States to do or abstain from doing any act, or constitutes a threat directed at the United States;

“(3) the prohibited conduct takes place outside of the United States and a victim or an intended victim is a national of the United States or a United States corporation or legal entity, or the offense is committed against any state or government facility of the United States; or

“(4) a perpetrator of the prohibited conduct is found in the United States.

“(c) Penalties—Whoever violates this section shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

“(d) Nonapplicability—This section does not apply to—

“(1) the activities of armed forces during an armed conflict, as those terms are understood under the law of war, which are governed by that law; or

“(2) activities undertaken by military forces of a state in the exercise of their official duties.

“(e) Definitions—As used in this section, the term—

“(1) armed conflict has the meaning given that term in section 2332f(e)(11) of this title;

“(2) device means:

“(A) any nuclear explosive device; or

“(B) any radioactive material dispersal or radiation-emitting device that may, owing to its radiological properties, cause death, serious bodily injury or substantial damage to property or the environment;

“(3) international organization has the meaning given that term in section 831(f)(3) of this title;

“(4) military forces of a state means the armed forces of a country that are organized, trained and equipped under its internal law for the primary purpose of national defense or security and persons acting in support of those armed forces who are under their formal command, control and responsibility;

“(5) national of the United States has the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22));

“(6) nuclear facility means:

“(A) any nuclear reactor, including reactors on vessels, vehicles, aircraft or space objects for use as an energy source in order to propel such vessels, vehicles, aircraft or space objects or for any other purpose;

“(B) any plant or conveyance being used for the production, storage, processing or transport of radioactive material; or

“(C) a facility (including associated buildings and equipment) in which nuclear material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of, if damage to or interference with such facility could lead to the release of significant amounts of radiation or radioactive material;

“(7) nuclear material has the meaning given that term in section 831(f)(1) of this title;

“(8) radioactive material means nuclear material and other radioactive substances that contain nuclides that undergo spontaneous disintegration (a process accompanied by emission of one or more types of ionizing radiation, such as alpha-, beta-, neutron particles and gamma rays) and that may, owing to their radiological or fissile properties, cause death, serious bodily injury or substantial damage to property or to the environment;

“(9) serious bodily injury has the meaning given that term in section 831(f)(4) of this title;

“(10) state has the same meaning as that term has under international law, and includes all political subdivisions thereof;

“(11) state or government facility has the meaning given that term in section 2332f(e)(3) of this title;

“(12) United States corporation or legal entity means any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of the United States or any State, Commonwealth, territory, possession or district of the United States;

“(13) vessel has the meaning given that term in section 1502(19) of title 33; and

“(14) vessel of the United States has the meaning given that term in section 70502 of title 46.”

(b)
Clerical amendment— The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 113B of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2332h the following:
(c)
Disclaimer— Nothing contained in this section is intended to affect the applicability of any other Federal or State law that might pertain to the underlying conduct.
(d)
Inclusion in definition of Federal crimes of terrorism— Section 2332b(g)(5)(B) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting “2332i (relating to acts of nuclear terrorism),” before “2339 (relating to harboring terrorists)”.

Sec. 202 Amendment to section 831 of title 18 of the United States Code

Section 831 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(a)
in subsection (a)—
(1)
by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (8) as (4) through (9);
(2)
by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:

“(3) without lawful authority, intentionally carries, sends or moves nuclear material into or out of a country;”

(3)
in paragraph (8), as redesignated, by striking “an offense under paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4)” and inserting “any act prohibited under paragraphs (1) through (5)”; and
(4)
in paragraph (9), as redesignated, by striking “an offense under paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4)” and inserting “any act prohibited under paragraphs (1) through (7)”;
(b)
in subsection (b)—
(1)
in paragraph (1), by striking “(7)” and inserting “(8)”; and
(2)
in paragraph (2), by striking “(8)” and inserting “(9)”;
(c)
in subsection (c)—
(1)
in subparagraph (2)(A), by adding after “United States” the following: “or a stateless person whose habitual residence is in the United States”;
(2)
by striking paragraph (5);
(3)
in paragraph (4), by striking “or” at the end; and
(4)
by inserting after paragraph (4), the following:

“(5) the offense is committed on board a vessel of the United States or a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States (as defined in section 70502 of title 46) or on board an aircraft that is registered under United States law, at the time the offense is committed;

“(6) the offense is committed outside the United States and against any state or government facility of the United States; or

“(7) the offense is committed in an attempt to compel the United States to do or abstain from doing any act, or constitutes a threat directed at the United States.”

(d)
by redesignating subsections (d) through (f) as (e) through (g), respectively;
(e)
by inserting after subsection (c):

“(d) Nonapplicability—This section does not apply to—

“(1) the activities of armed forces during an armed conflict, as those terms are understood under the law of war, which are governed by that law; or

“(2) activities undertaken by military forces of a state in the exercise of their official duties.”

(f)
in subsection (g), as redesignated—
(1)
in paragraph (6), by striking “and” at the end;
(2)
in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(3)
by inserting after paragraph (7), the following:

“(8) the term armed conflict has the meaning given that term in section 2332f(e)(11) of this title;

“(9) the term military forces of a state means the armed forces of a country that are organized, trained and equipped under its internal law for the primary purpose of national defense or security and persons acting in support of those armed forces who are under their formal command, control and responsibility;

“(10) the term state has the same meaning as that term has under international law, and includes all political subdivisions thereof;

“(11) the term state or government facility has the meaning given that term in section 2332f(e)(3) of this title; and

“(12) the term vessel of the United States has the meaning given that term in section 70502 of title 46.”