An act to amend sections 351 and 1751 of title 18 of the United States Code to provide penalties for crimes against Cabinet officers, Supreme Court Justices, and Presidential staff members, and for other purposes.
PL 97-285 (S.907), enacted 10/06/1982

PUBLIC LAW 97-285—OCT. 6, 1982 
96 STAT. 1219 
Public Law 97-285 
97th Congress 
An Act 
To amend sections 351 and 1751 of title 18 of the United States Code to provide 
penalties for crimes against Cabinet officers, Supreme Court Justices, and Presi-
dential staff members, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) subsection 
(a) of section 351 of title 18 of the United States Code is amended to 
read as follows: 
"(a) Whoever kills any individual who is a Member of Congress or 
a Member-of-Congress-elect, a member of the executive branch of 
the Government who is the head, or a person nominated to be head 
during the pendency of such nomination, of a department listed in 
section 101 of title 5 or the second ranking official in such depart-
ment, the Director (or a person nominated to be Director during the 
pendency of such nomination) or Deputy Director of Central Intelli-
gence, or a Justice of the United States, as defined in section 451 of 
title 28, or a person nominated to be a Justice of the United States, 
during the pendency of such nomination, shall be punished as 
provided by sections 1111 and 1112 of this title.". 
(b) Section 351 of title 18 of the United States Code is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
"(h) In a prosecution for an offense under this section the Govern-
ment need not prove that the defendant knew that the victim of the 
offense was an official protected by this section. 
"(i) There is extraterritorial jurisdiction over the conduct prohib-
ited by this section.". 
SEC. 2. (a) The section heading of section 351 of title 18 of the 
United States Code is amended to read as follows: 
"§ 351. Congressional, Cabinet, and Supreme Court assassination, 
kidnaping, and assault; penalties". 
(b) In the table of sections at the beginning of chapter 18 of title 18 
of the United States Code, the item relating to section 351 is 
amended to read as follows: 
"351. Congressional, Cabinet, and Supreme Court assassination, kidnaping, and 
assault; penalties.". 
(c) The chapter heading of chapter 18 of title 18 of the United 
States Code is amended to read as follows: 
Oct. 6, 1982 
[S. 907] 
Penalties for 
crimes against 
governmental 
officials. 
5 u s e 101. 
28 u s e 451. 
1
8 use nil, 
1112. 
"CHAPTER 18—CONGRESSIONAL, CABINET, AND SUPREME 
COURT ASSASSINATION, KIDNAPING, AND ASSAULT". 
(d) The table of chapters at the beginning of part I of title 18 of the 
United States Code is amended so that the item relating to chapter 
18 reads as follows: 
"18. Congressional, Cabinet, and Supreme Court assassination, kidnaping, 
and assault 
351". 
96 STAT. 1220 
PUBLIC LAW 97-285—OCT. 6, 1982 
(e) Subsection (c) of section 2516 of title 18 of the United States 
Code is amended by striking out "(violations with respect to congres-
sional" and all that follows through "assault)" and inserting in lieu 
thereof the following: "(violations with respect to congressional, 
Cabinet, or Supreme Court assassinations, kidnaping, and assault)". 
SEC. 3. (a) Subsection (a) of section 1751 of title 18 of the United 
States Code is amended to read as follows: 
"(a) Whoever kills (1) any individual who is the President of the 
United States, the President-elect, the Vice President, or, if there is 
no Vice President, the officer next in the order of succession to the 
Office of the President of the United States, the Vice President-elect, 
or any person who is acting as President under the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, or (2) any person appointed under section 
3 use 105. 
105(aX2XA) of title 3 employed in the Executive Office of the Presi-
3 use 106. 
dent or appointed under section 106(aXlXA) of title 3 employed in 
the Office of the Vice President, shall be punished as provided by 
18 use nil, 
sections 1111 and 1112 of this title.". 
1112. 
(b) Subsection (e) of section 1751 of title 18 of the United States 
Code is amended to read as follows: 
"(e) Whoever assaults any person designated in subsection (aXD 
Fines or 
shall be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than 
imprisonment. 
^^ 
years, or both. Whoever assaults any person designated in 
subsection (aX2) shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned 
not more than one year, or both; and if personal injury results, shall 
be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than ten 
years, or both.". 
(c) Subsection (g) of section 1751 of title 18 of the United States 
Code is amended by striking out "this section" and inserting in lieu 
thereof "subsection (aXD". 
(d) Section 1751 of title 18 of the United States Code is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
"(j) In a prosecution for an offense under this section the Govern-
ment need not prove that the defendant knew that the victim of the 
offense was an official protected by this section. 
"(k) There is extraterritorial jurisdiction over the conduct prohib-
ited by this section.". 
SEC. 4. (a) The section heading of section 1751 of title 18 of the 
United States Code is amended to read as follows: 
"§ 1751. Presidential and Presidential staff assassination, kidnap-
ing, and assault; penalties". 
Oa) In the table of sections at the beginning of chapter 84 of title 18 
of the United States Code the item relating to section 1751 is 
amended to read as follows: 
"1751. Presidential and Presidential staff assassination, kidnaping, and assault; 
penalties.". 
(c) The heading of chapter 84 of title 18 of the United States Code 
is amended to read as follows: 
"CHAPTER 84—PRESIDENTIAL AND PRESIDENTIAL STAFF 
ASSASSINATION, KIDNAPING, AND ASSAULT". 
(d) The table of chapters at the beginning of part I of title 18 of the 
United States Code is amended so that the item relating to chapter 
84 reads as follows: 
PUBLIC LAW 97-285—OCT. 6, 1982 
96 STAT. 1221 
"84. Presidential and Presidential staff assassination, kidnaping, and 
assault 
1751". 
(e) Subsection (c) of section 2516 of title 18 of the United States 
Code is amended by striking out "(Presidential assassinations, kid-
napping, and assault)" and inserting in lieu thereof "(Presidential 
and Presidential staff assassination, kidnaping, and assault)". 
Approved October 6, 1982. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 907: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 97-803 (Comm. on the Judiciary), 
SENATE REPORT No. 97-320 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 128 (1982): 
May 5, considered and passed Senate. 
Sept. 14, considered and passed House, amended. 
Sept. 22, Senate concurred in House amendment.