I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6506 
To amend section 798 of title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties 
for disclosure of classified information related to certain intelligence 
activities of the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 8, 2010 
Mr. KING of New York (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, and Mr. 
LATHAM) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend section 798 of title 18, United States Code, to 
provide penalties for disclosure of classified information 
related to certain intelligence activities of the United 
States, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing Human Intel-
ligence and Enforcing Lawful Dissemination Act’’ or the 
‘‘SHIELD Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PENALTIES FOR DISCLOSURE OF CLASSIFIED IN-
FORMATION RELATED TO INTELLIGENCE AC-
TIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) section 798 of title 
18, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
inserting ‘‘or transnational threat’’ after ‘‘foreign 
government’’; 
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 
end; 
(3) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para-
graph (6); and 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) concerning the human intelligence activi-
ties of the United States or any foreign government; 
‘‘(5) concerning the identity of a classified 
source or informant of an element of the intelligence 
community of the United States; or’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (b) section 798 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In subsection (a): 
‘‘(1) CIPHER, 
CODE, 
CRYPTOGRAPHIC
SYS-
TEM.—The terms ‘cipher’, ‘code’, and ‘cryptographic 
system’ include in their meanings, in addition to 
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their usual meanings, any method of secret writing 
and any mechanical or electrical device or method 
used for the purpose of disguising or concealing the 
contents, significance, or meanings of communica-
tions. 
‘‘(2) CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION.—The term 
‘classified information’ means information which, at 
the time of a violation of this section, is, for reasons 
of national security, specifically designated by a 
United States Government Agency for limited or re-
stricted dissemination or distribution. 
‘‘(3) 
COMMUNICATION
INTELLIGENCE.—The 
term ‘communication intelligence’ means all proce-
dures and methods used in the interception of com-
munications and the obtaining of information from 
such communications by other than the intended re-
cipients. 
‘‘(4) FOREIGN GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘for-
eign government’ includes in its meaning any person 
or persons acting or purporting to act for or on be-
half of any faction, party, department, agency, bu-
reau, or military force of or within a foreign coun-
try, or for or on behalf of any government or any 
person or persons purporting to act as a government 
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within a foreign country, whether or not such gov-
ernment is recognized by the United States. 
‘‘(5) 
HUMAN
INTELLIGENCE.—The 
term 
‘human intelligence’ means all procedures and meth-
ods employed in the collection of intelligence through 
human sources. 
‘‘(6) INFORMANT.—The term ‘informant’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 606 of the 
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 426). 
‘‘(7) TRANSNATIONAL
THREAT.—The term 
‘transnational threat’ means— 
‘‘(A) any transnational activity (including 
international terrorism, narcotics trafficking, 
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction 
and the delivery systems for such weapons, and 
organized crime) that threatens the national se-
curity of the United States; or 
‘‘(B) any individual or group that engages 
in an activity referred to in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(8) UNAUTHORIZED PERSON.—The term ‘un-
authorized person’ means any person who, or agency 
which, is not authorized to receive information of the 
categories set forth in subsection (a), by the Presi-
dent, or by the head of a department or agency of 
the United States Government which is expressly 
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designated by the President to engage in commu-
nication intelligence or human intelligence activities 
for the United States.’’. 
Æ 
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