[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2986 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2986

     To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide additional 
punishments for offenders committing fraud aimed at taking advantage of 
             a national emergency, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 2, 2001

  Mr. Bass (for himself, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. Towns, Mr. Davis of 
 Illinois, Mr. Gordon, Mrs. Morella, Mr. Castle, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Doyle, 
Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Filner, and Mr. Schrock) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide additional 
punishments for offenders committing fraud aimed at taking advantage of 
             a national emergency, 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 ``American Spirit Fraud Prevention Act 
of 2001''.

SEC. 2. INCREASED PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN FRAUDS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 25. Increased penalties for certain frauds
    ``(a) Whoever is convicted of an offense involving fraud or false 
statement during an emergency period or a disaster period shall, if the 
fraud or false statement was intended to exploit popular reaction to 
the emergency or disaster concerned, be subject to double the 
imprisonment and double the fine otherwise provided by law.
    ``(b) In this section--
            ``(1) the term `emergency period' means the period that--
                    ``(A) begins on the date on which the President 
                declares a national emergency under the National 
                Emergencies Act; and
                    ``(B) ends on the expiration of the 1-year 
                beginning on the date of the termination of the 
                national emergency; and
            ``(2) the term `disaster period' means the 1-year period 
        beginning on the date the President declares an emergency or 
        major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
        Emergency Assistance Act.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters at the beginning of 
chapter 1 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new item:

``25. Increased penalties for certain frauds.''.
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