An Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 so as to make certain changes to facilitate the production of wine, and for other purposes
PL 90-619 (H.R.14095), enacted 10/22/1968

1236 
PUBLIC LAW 90-619-OCT. 22, 1968 
[82 STAT. 
Ante, p. 1229. 
Effective date. 
Publication in 
Federal Register. 
tion and Transfer Record shall register each firearm so possessed with 
the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate in such form and manner 
as the Secretary or his delegate may require within the thirty days 
immediately following the effective date of section 201 of this Act. 
Such registrations shall become a part of the National Firearms Regis-
tration and Transfer Record required to be maintained by section 
5841 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (as amended by this title). 
No information or evidence required to be submitted or retained by a 
natural person to register a firearm under this section shall be used, 
directly or indirectly, as evidence against such person in any criminal 
proceeding with respect to a prior or concurrent violation of law. 
(c) The amendments made by sections 202 through 206 of this title 
shall take effect on the date of enactment. 
(d) The Secretary of the Treasury, after publication in the Federal 
Register of his intention to do so, is authorized to establish such periods 
of amnesty, not to exceed ninety days in the case of any single period, 
and immunity from liability during any such period, as the Secretary 
determines will contribute to the purposes of this title. 
TITLE III—AMENDMENTS TO TITLE VII OF THE OMNI-
BUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE STREETS ACT OF 
1968 
Ante, p. 236. 
"Felony. 
Effective date. 
SEC. 301. (a) Title VII of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-351) is amended— 
(1) by striking out "other than honorably discharged" in sec-
tion 1201, and substituting therefor "discharged under dishon-
orable conditions"; and 
(2) by striking out "other than honorable conditions" in sub-
sections (a) (2) and (b) (2) of section 1202 and substituting there-
for in each instance "dishonorable conditions". 
(b) Section 1202(c) (2) of such title is amended to read as follows: 
"(2) 'felony' means any offense punishable by imprisonment 
for a term exceeding one year, but does not include any offense 
(other than one involving a firearm or explosive) classified as a 
misdemeanor under the laws of a State and punishable by a term 
of imprisonment of two years or less;". 
SEC. 302. The amendments made by paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
subsection (a) of section 301 shall take effect as of June 19, 1968. 
Approved October 22, 1968. 
October 22, 1968 
[H.R. 14095] 
Taxes. 
Wine spirits. 
72 Stat. 1382. 
26 use 5373-
Public Law 90-619 
AN ACT 
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 so as to make certain changes to 
facilitate the production of wine, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United /States of America in Congress assemblea, That the first sen-
tence of section 5373(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (re-
lating to wine spirits) is amended to read as follows: "The wine 
spirits authorized to be used in wine production shall be brandy or 
wine spirits produced in a distilled spirits plant (with or without the 
use of water to facilitate extraction and distillation) exclusively from— 
" (1) fresh or dried fruit, or their residues, 
" (2) the wine or wine residues therefrom, or 
" (3) special natural wine under such conditions as the Secretary 
or his delegate may by regulations prescribe; 
except that where, in the production of natural wine or special natural 
82 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 90-619-OCT. 22, 1968 
1237 
wine, sugar has been used, the wine or the residuum thereof may not 
be used if the unfermented sugars therein have been refermented." 
SEC. 2. Clause (B) of section 5382(b) (2) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1954 (relating to specifically authorized treatments) is 
72 stat. i384; 
amended to read as follows: "(B) in the case of still wines, wine ^^26'usc 5l(82. 
spirits may be added in any State only to natural wines produced by 
fermentation in bonded wine cellars located within the same State." 
SEC. 3. (a) Subsection (b) of section 5383 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1954 (relating to high acid wines) is amended to read as ^^ ^*^*- ^^2-
follows: 
"(b) HIGH ACID WINES.— 
"(1) AMELIORATION.—Before, during, and after fermentation, 
ameliorating materials consisting of pure dry sugar or liquid 
sugar, water, or a combination of sugar and water, may be added to 
natural grape wines of a winemaker's own production when such 
wines are made from juice having a natural fixed acid content of 
more than five parts per thousand (calculated before fermentation 
and as tartaric acid). Ameliorating material so added shall not 
reduce the natural fixed acid content of the juice to less than five 
parts per thousand, nor exceed 35 percent of the volume of juice 
(calculated 
exclusive of pulp) 
and ameliorating 
material 
combined. 
"(2) SWEETENING.—Any wine produced under this subsection 
may be sweetened by the producer thereof, after amelioration and 
fermentation, with pure dry sugar or liquid sugar if the total 
solids content of the finished wine does not exceed (A) 17 percent 
by weight if the alcoholic content is more than 14 percent by 
volume, or (B) 21 percent by weight if the alcoholic content is 
not more than 14 percent by volume. The use under this paragraph 
of liquid sugar shall be limited to cases where the resultant volume 
does not exceed the volume which could result from the maximum 
authorized use of pure dry sugar only. 
"(3) W I N E SPIRITS.—^Wine spirits may be added (whether or 
not wine spirits were previously added) to wine produced under 
this subsection only if the wine contains not more than 14 percent 
of alcohol by volume derived from fermentation." 
(b) Sections 5383(a) (relating to sweetening of grape wines), 
5384(a) (relating to natural fruit and berry wines), and 5385(a) 
(relating to specially sweetened natural wines) of such Code are ^9 stat. i62, 
each amended by striking out "less than 14 percent" and inserting in ^"2 stat. use. 
lieu thereof "not more than 14 percent". 
SEC. 4. Subsection (b) of section 5385 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1954 (relating to specially sweetened natural wines) is 
amended to read as follows: 
"(b) CELLAR TREATMENT.—Specially sweetened natural wines may 
be blended with each other, or with natural wine or heavy bodied blend-
ing wine in the further production of specially sweetened natural wine 
only, if the wines so blended are made from the same kind of fruit. 
Wines produced under this section may be cellar treated under the 
provisions of section 5382 (a) and (c). Wine spirits may not be added 
72 stat. usa. 
to specially sweetened natural wine." 
SEC. 5, Section 5386(b), and the last sentence of section 5387(a), 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (relating to cellar treatment of 
special natural wines and agricultural wines) are each amended by 
striking out "as provided in section 5382(c)" and inserting in lieu 
thereof "under the provisions of section 5382 (a) and (c)". 
SEC. 6. The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the first 
day of the first month which begins 90 days or more after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Approved October 22, 1968. 
Effective date.