IIB
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3668
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 19, 2012
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
AN ACT
To prevent trafficking in counterfeit drugs.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement
Act of 2012
.
Counterfeit drug penalty enhancement
Offense
Section 2320(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
by striking
or
at the end of paragraph (2);
by inserting or
at the end
of paragraph (3);
by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
traffics in a counterfeit drug,
; and
by striking
through (3)
and inserting through (4)
.
Penalties
Section 2320(b)(3) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
in the heading, by
inserting and counterfeit
drugs
after services
; and
by inserting
or counterfeit drug
after service
.
Definition
Section 2320(f) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
by striking
and
at the end of paragraph (4);
by striking the
period at the end of paragraph (5) and inserting ; and
;
and
by adding at the end the following:
the term counterfeit drug
means a drug, as defined by section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act, that uses a counterfeit mark on or in connection with the
drug.
.
Priority given to certain investigations and prosecutions
The Attorney General shall give increased priority to efforts to investigate and prosecute offenses under section 2320 of title 18, United States Code, that involve counterfeit drugs.
Sentencing Commission Directive
Directive to sentencing commission
Pursuant to its authority under section 994(p) of title 28, United States Code, and in accordance with this section, the United States Sentencing Commission shall review and amend, if appropriate, its guidelines and its policy statements applicable to persons convicted of an offense described in section 2320(a)(4) of title 18, United States Code, as amended by section 2, in order to reflect the intent of Congress that such penalties be increased in comparison to those currently provided by the guidelines and policy statements.
Requirements
In carrying out this section, the Commission shall—
ensure that the sentencing guidelines and policy statements reflect the intent of Congress that the guidelines and policy statements reflect the serious nature of the offenses described in subsection (a) and the need for an effective deterrent and appropriate punishment to prevent such offenses;
consider the extent to which the guidelines may or may not appropriately account for the potential and actual harm to the public resulting from the offense;
assure reasonable consistency with other relevant directives and with other sentencing guidelines;
account for any additional aggravating or mitigating circumstances that might justify exceptions to the generally applicable sentencing ranges;
make any necessary conforming changes to the sentencing guidelines; and
assure that the guidelines adequately meet the purposes of sentencing as set forth in section 3553(a)(2) of title 18, United States Code.
Passed the House of Representatives June 18, 2012.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk