[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3799 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3799

To require the Department of Homeland Security to regulate retail sales 
  of hydrogen cyanide and its salts, and to require the Department of 
 Homeland Security and Department of Justice to conduct a joint study 
   about the risk of use of commercial products including cyanide by 
           terrorists and potential preventative regulations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 3, 2006

  Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Department of Homeland Security to regulate retail sales 
  of hydrogen cyanide and its salts, and to require the Department of 
 Homeland Security and Department of Justice to conduct a joint study 
   about the risk of use of commercial products including cyanide by 
           terrorists and potential preventative regulations.

    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 ``Cyanide Safety Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT TO LICENSE AND RECORD.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security (referred to in 
this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall issue such regulations as may be 
necessary to--
            (1) require any person who sells or otherwise transfers, at 
        a retail level, hydrogen cyanide and its salts to obtain a 
        license for such sale from the Secretary; and
            (2) require any person who sells or otherwise transfers, at 
        a retail level, hydrogen cyanide and its salts to record such 
        sale or transfer, including the identity of the person 
        purchasing or otherwise receiving such cyanide, the address for 
        such person, and the intended use of such cyanide.
    (b) Records.--Records collected pursuant to this section shall be 
available for such use, and retained for such period, as the Secretary 
shall by regulation require.

SEC. 3. STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary and the Attorney General shall 
conduct a study of the manufacturing and distribution process of 
cyanide with a view to determining methods, procedures, or other 
actions which might be taken, employed, or otherwise carried out in 
connection with such manufacturing and distribution in order to 
safeguard the public from the wrongful use of cyanide with a focus on 
such use by terrorists.
    (b) Focus of Study.--The study required by subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) an assessment of the risks of commercial products that 
        contain cyanide and how they might be used by terrorists;
            (2) a determination of the sources of cyanide, including 
        the name and location of each manufacturer thereof;
            (3) an evaluation of the means and methods utilized by the 
        manufacturer and others in the distribution of cyanide, 
        including the name and location of each such distributor;
            (4) an evaluation of the procedures employed in connection 
        with the selling, at the wholesale and retail level, of 
        cyanide, including a determination as to whether or not persons 
        selling cyanide require the intended purchaser to identify 
        himself or herself;
            (5) a determination as to the extent to which recordkeeping 
        requirements are imposed on, or carried out by, manufacturers 
        of cyanide with respect to the specifications of each lot of 
        cyanide produced by such manufacturer;
            (6) a determination as to the feasibility and desirability 
        of establishing a central registry of all lot specifications of 
        cyanide for the purpose of providing quick access to 
        investigative and law enforcement agencies;
            (7) a consideration and review of all aspects of the matter 
        of interstate versus intrastate to the extent that it involves 
        the manufacturing, distribution, or use of cyanide;
            (8) a determination as to the feasibility and desirability 
        of requiring limited-access storage for cyanide at 
        universities, laboratories, and other institutions that use 
        cyanide for research or other purposes; and
            (9) a determination as to the feasibility and desirability 
        of regulating, in accordance with the provisions of section 1, 
        other chemicals that are commonly available and pose a 
        significant risk if used by terrorists.
    (c) Report.--On or before the expiration of the 270-day period 
following the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the 
Attorney General shall report the results of such study to Congress, 
together with their recommendations with respect thereto.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
                                 <all>