An Act to provide that seat belts sold or shipped in interstate commerce for use in motor vehicles shall meet certain safety standards
PL 88-201 (H.R.134), enacted 12/13/1963

77 STAT. ] 
PUBLIC LAW 88-201-DEC. 13, 1963 
361 
"TITLE III—ENCOURAGEMENT OF VOLUNTAEY 
SERVICE PROGRAMS 
"SEC. 301. (a) The Congress declares that it is the policy of the 
United States and a further purpose of this Act to encourage countries 
and areas to establish programs under which their citizens and na-
tionals would volunteer to serve in order to help meet the needs of less 
developed countries or areas for trained manpower, and to encourage 
less developed countries or areas to establish programs under which 
their citizens and nationals would volunteer to serve in order to meet 
their needs for trained manpower. 
"(b) Not more than $300,000 may be used to caiTy out the purposes 
of this title in fiscal year 1964. Activities carried out by the President 
in furtherance of the purposes of this title shall be limited to the fur-
nishing of knowledge and skills relating to the selection, training, a;nd 
programing of volunteer manpower. None of the fmids available to 
carry out the purposes of this Act which are used in furtherance of 
the purposes of this title may be contributed to any international 
organization or to any foreign government or agency thereof; nor may 
such funds be used to pay the costs of developing or operating volun-
teer programs of such organization, government, or agency, or to pay 
any other costs of such organization, government, or agency. 
" (c) Such activities shall not compromise the national character of 
the Feace Corps." 
Approved December 13, 1963. 
Public Law 88-201 
AN ACT 
To i)rovi(le that seat belts sold or shipijed in interstate commerce for use in 
motor vehicles shall meet certain safety standards. 
Be it enacted by the /Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Secretary 
of Commerce shall prescribe and publish in the Federal Register 
minimum standards for seat belts for use in motor vehicles other 
than those of carriers subject to safety regulations under part I I of 
the Interstate Commerce Act. 
Such standards shall be designed to 
provide the public with safe seat belts so that passenger injuries in 
motor vehicle accidents can be kept to a mininmm. 
Standards first 
established under this section shall be prescribed and published not 
later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 2. (a) The manufacture for sale, the sale, or the offering for 
sale, in interstate commerce, or the importation into the Ignited States, 
or the introduction, delivery for introduction, transportation or caus-
ing to be transported in, interstate commerce, or for the purpose of 
sale, or delivery after sale, in interstate commerce, of any seat belt 
manufactui-ed on or after the date this section takes effect shall be 
unlawful unless such seat belt meets the standards prescribed by the 
Secretary of Commerce as set forth in the first section of this Act. 
(b) Whoever knowingly and willfully violates this section shall be 
fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than one year or 
both. 
SEC. 3. As used in this Act— 
(1) The term "interstate commerce" includes commerce between 
one State, Territory, possession, the District of Columbia, or the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico and another State, Territory, possession, 
the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
December 13, 1963 
[H. R. 134] 
Seat belts. 
Safety stand-
ards. 
Publication i n 
F. R. 
54 Stat. 919. 
49 use 30 1. 
Restriction. 
Penalty. 
Definitions. 
362 
PUBLIC LAW 88-202-DEC. 13, 1963 
[77 STAT. 
(2) The term "motor vehicle" means any other vehicle or machine 
propelled or drawn by mechanical power and used on the highways 
principally in the transportation of passengers. 
(3) The term "seat belt" means any strap, webbing, or similar 
device designed to secure a passenger in a motor vehicle in order to 
mitigate the results of any accident, including all necessary buckles, 
and other fasteners, and all hardware designed for installing such 
seat belt in a motor vehicle. 
Effective date. 
SEC. 4. Tliis Act shall take effect on the date of its enactment except 
that section 2 shall take effect on such date as the Secretary of Com-
merce shall determine but such date shall be not less than one hundred 
and eighty days nor more than one year after the date of publication 
of standards first established under the first section of this Act, 
If 
such standards first established are thereafter changed, such standards 
as so changed shall take effect on such date as the Secretary of Com-
merce shall determine but such date shall be not less than one hundred 
and eighty days nor more than one year after the date of their publi-
cation m accordance with the provisions of the first section of this Act. 
Approved December 13, 1963. 
Public Law 88-202 
December 13, 1963 
[S. J. Res, 137] 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
Authorizing the Commission established to reix)rt nixHi the assassination of 
President John F. Kennedy to comiH*! the attendan<'e and testimony of wit-
nesses and the production of evidence. 
Commission in-
vestigating as-
sassination of 
President John 
F. Kennedy. 
Subpena power, 
28 F.R. 12789. 
Manner of serv-
ice. 
Resolved hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United 
States of America in Co7igress asse?nhhd, That (a) for the purposes 
of this joint resolution, the term "Commission" means the Commission 
appointed by the President by Executive Order 11130, dated November 
29, 1963. 
(b) The Commission, or any member of the Commission when so 
authorized by the Commission, shall have jDower to issue subpenas 
requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the produc-
tion of any evidence that relates to any matter under investigation by 
the Commission. The Comiiiission, or any member of the Commission 
or any agent or agency designated by the Commission for such pur-
pose, may administer oaths and affirmations, examine witnesses, and 
receive evidence. Such attendance of witnesses and the production of 
such evidence may be required from any place within the TJnited States 
at any designated place of hearing. 
(c) In case of contumacy or refusal to obey a subpena issued to any 
person under subsection (b), any court of the United States within 
the jurisdiction of which the inquiry is carried on or within the juris-
diction of which said person guilty of contumacy or refusal to obey 
is found or resides or transacts business, upon application by the Com-
mission shall have jurisdiction to issue to such person an order requir-
ing such person to appear before the Commission, its member, agent, 
or agency, there to produce evidence if so ordered, or there to give tes-
timony touching the matter under investigation or in question; and 
any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by said 
court as a contempt thereof. 
(d) Process and papers of the Connnission, its members, agent, or 
agency, may be served either upon the witness in person or by regis-
tered mail or by telegraph or by leaving a copy thereof at the residence 
or principal office or place of business of the person required to be 
served. The verified return by the individual so serving the same, set-
ting forth the manner of such service, shall be proof of the same, and