II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 62 

To amend section 1951 of title 18, United States Code (commonly known 

as the Hobbs Act), and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 7, 2015 

Mr. VITTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend section 1951 of title 18, United States Code 

(commonly known as the Hobbs Act), and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Freedom From Union 

5 Violence Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INTERFERENCE WITH COMMERCE BY THREATS OR 

7 VIOLENCE. 

8 Section 1951 of title 18, United States Code, is 

9 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1951. Interference with commerce by threats or vi2 olence 

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

4 ‘‘(1) the term ‘commerce’ means any— 

5 ‘‘(A) commerce within the District of Co6 lumbia, or any territory or possession of the 

7 United States; 

8 ‘‘(B) commerce between any point in a 

9 State, territory, possession, or the District of 

10 Columbia and any point outside thereof; 

11 ‘‘(C) commerce between points within the 

12 same State through any place outside that 

13 State; and 

14 ‘‘(D) other commerce over which the 

15 United States has jurisdiction; 

16 ‘‘(2) the term ‘extortion’ means the obtaining of 

17 property from any person, with the consent of that 

18 person, if that consent is induced— 

19 ‘‘(A) by actual or threatened use of force 

20 or violence, or fear thereof; 

21 ‘‘(B) by wrongful use of fear not involving 

22 force or violence; or 

23 ‘‘(C) under color of official right; 

24 ‘‘(3) the term ‘labor dispute’ has the same 

25 meaning as in section 2(9) of the National Labor 

26 Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(9)); and 


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1 ‘‘(4) the term ‘robbery’ means the unlawful tak2 ing or obtaining of personal property from the per3 son or in the presence of another, against his or her 

4 will, by means of actual or threatened force or vio5 lence, or fear of injury, immediate or future— 

6 ‘‘(A) to his or her person or property, or 

7 property in his or her custody or possession; or 

8 ‘‘(B) to the person or property of a relative 

9 or member of his or her family, or of anyone in 

10 his or her company at the time of the taking or 

11 obtaining. 

12 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in sub13 section (c), whoever in any way or degree obstructs, 

14 delays, or affects commerce or the movement of any article 

15 or commodity in commerce, by robbery or extortion, or at16 tempts or conspires so to do, or commits or threatens 

17 physical violence to any person or property in furtherance 

18 of a plan or purpose to do anything in violation of this 

19 section, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for not 

20 more than 20 years, or both. 

21 ‘‘(c) EXEMPTED CONDUCT.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (b) does not 

23 apply to any conduct that— 

24 ‘‘(A) is incidental to otherwise peaceful 

25 picketing during the course of a labor dispute; 


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1 ‘‘(B) consists solely of minor bodily injury, 

2 or minor damage to property, or threat or fear 

3 of such minor injury or damage; and 

4 ‘‘(C) is not part of a pattern of violent con5 duct or of coordinated violent activity. 

6 ‘‘(2) STATE AND LOCAL JURISDICTION.—Any 

7 violation of this section that involves any conduct de8 scribed in paragraph (1) shall be subject to prosecu9 tion only by the appropriate State and local authori10 ties. 

11 ‘‘(d) EFFECT ON OTHER LAW.—Nothing in this sec12 tion shall be construed— 

13 ‘‘(1) to repeal, amend, or otherwise affect— 

14 ‘‘(A) section 6 of the Clayton Act (15 

15 U.S.C. 17); 

16 ‘‘(B) section 20 of the Clayton Act (29 

17 U.S.C. 52); 

18 ‘‘(C) any provision of the Norris19 LaGuardia Act (29 U.S.C. 101 et seq.); 

20 ‘‘(D) any provision of the National Labor 

21 Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.); or 

22 ‘‘(E) any provision of the Railway Labor 

23 Act (45 U.S.C. 151 et seq.); or 


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1 ‘‘(2) to preclude Federal jurisdiction over any 

2 violation of this section, on the basis that the con3 duct at issue— 

4 ‘‘(A) is also a violation of State or local 

5 law; or 

6 ‘‘(B) occurred during the course of a labor 

7 dispute or in pursuit of a legitimate business or 

8 labor objective.’’. 

Æ 


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