[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3014 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3014

To amend title 18 of the United States Code to penalize the knowing and 
 reckless introduction of a defective product into interstate commerce.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 7, 2000

  Mr. Specter introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 18 of the United States Code to penalize the knowing and 
 reckless introduction of a defective product into interstate commerce.

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

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) A ``defective'' product is one with a flaw in design, 
manufacture, assembly, or instruction which renders the product 
dangerous to human life and limb beyond the reasonable and accepted 
risk associated with such or similar products lacking such a flaw.
    (b) To ``introduce'' a product into the stream of interstate 
commerce is to manufacture, assemble, import, sell, or otherwise 
produce or transfer the product in question.
    (c) ``Person'' means the employees of any corporation, company, 
association, firm, partnership, or other business entity.
    (d) ``Serious bodily injury'' means bodily injury which involves--
            (1) a substantial risk of death;
            (2) extreme physical pain; or
            (3) protected or impairment of the function of a bodily 
        member, organ, or mental faculty.

SEC. 2. ENACTMENTS.

    (a) A person who in gross deviation from a reasonable standard of 
care introduces into interstate commerce a product known by that person 
to be defective which causes the death of any individual shall be 
guilty of murder in the second degree and shall be imprisoned for a 
term of up to fifteen years.
    (b) A person who in gross deviation from a reasonable standard of 
care introduces into interstate commerce a defective product which 
causes serious bodily injury to any individual shall be imprisoned for 
a term of up to 5 years.
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