[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3166 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.3166

                       One Hundred Fourth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
   the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six


                                 An Act


 
  To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to the crime of 
                 false statement in a Government matter.

    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 ``False Statements Accountability Act 
of 1996''.

SEC. 2. RESTORING FALSE STATEMENTS PROHIBITION.

    Section 1001 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:

``Sec. 1001. Statements or entries generally

    ``(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any 
matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or 
judicial branch of the Government of the United States, knowingly and 
willfully--
        ``(1) falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, 
    or device a material fact;
        ``(2) makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent 
    statement or representation; or
        ``(3) makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the 
    same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent 
    statement or entry;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or 
both.
    ``(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a party to a judicial 
proceeding, or that party's counsel, for statements, representations, 
writings or documents submitted by such party or counsel to a judge or 
magistrate in that proceeding.
    ``(c) With respect to any matter within the jurisdiction of the 
legislative branch, subsection (a) shall apply only to--
        ``(1) administrative matters, including a claim for payment, a 
    matter related to the procurement of property or services, 
    personnel or employment practices, or support services, or a 
    document required by law, rule, or regulation to be submitted to 
    the Congress or any office or officer within the legislative 
    branch; or
        ``(2) any investigation or review, conducted pursuant to the 
    authority of any committee, subcommittee, commission or office of 
    the Congress, consistent with applicable rules of the House or 
    Senate.''.

SEC. 3. CLARIFYING PROHIBITION ON OBSTRUCTING CONGRESS.

    Section 1515 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
        (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
        (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new 
    subsection:
    ``(b) As used in section 1505, the term `corruptly' means acting 
with an improper purpose, personally or by influencing another, 
including making a false or misleading statement, or withholding, 
concealing, altering, or destroying a document or other information.''.

SEC. 4. ENFORCING SENATE SUBPOENA.

    Section 1365(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended in the 
second sentence, by striking ``Federal Government acting within his 
official capacity'' and inserting ``executive branch of the Federal 
Government acting within his or her official capacity, except that this 
section shall apply if the refusal to comply is based on the assertion 
of a personal privilege or objection and is not based on a governmental 
privilege or objection the assertion of which has been authorized by 
the executive branch of the Federal Government''.

SEC. 5. COMPELLING TRUTHFUL TESTIMONY FROM IMMUNIZED WITNESS.

    Section 6005 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
        (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``or ancillary to'' after 
    ``any proceeding before''; and
        (2) in subsection (b)--
            (A) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by inserting ``or ancillary 
        to'' after ``a proceeding before'' each place that term 
        appears; and
            (B) in paragraph (3), by adding a period at the end.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.