Correction Officers Health and Safety Act of 1998
Public Law 105-370 · H.R. 2070 · 105th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Nov 12, 1998 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-NY-22)
Cosponsors (21): Rep. Gary Condit, Rep. Sue Kelly,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Correction Officers Health and Safety Act of 1998 - Amends the Federal criminal code to direct the Attorney General to cause each individual convicted of a Federal offense who is sentenced to incarceration for a period of six months or more to be tested for the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as appropriate, if such individual is determined to be at risk for infection with such virus in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Bureau of Prisons relating to infectious disease management.
Requires the Attorney General: (1) to cause a person sentenced to a term of imprisonment for a Federal offense, or ordered detained before trial, to be tested for HIV if such person is believed to have intentionally or unintentionally transmitted HIV to any U.S. officer or employee or to any person lawfully present in a correctional facility who is not incarcerated there; (2) to communicate the test results to the person tested; (3) consistent with the guidelines, to inform any person who may have been exposed to such virus of the potential risk involved and, if warranted by the circumstances, that prophylactic or other treatment should be considered; and (4) if the results indicate the presence of HIV, to provide appropriate access for counselling, health, and support services to the affected officer, employee, or other person, and to the person tested.
Declares that test results are inadmissible against the person tested in any Federal or State civil or criminal case or proceeding.
Directs the Attorney General to: (1) issue rules to implement this Act which shall require that the test results be communicated only to the person tested, and, if the results indicate the presence of HIV, to correctional facility personnel consistent with the guidelines, and which provide procedures to protect the privacy of the person requesting the test and the person tested; and (2) provide to the States proposed guidelines for the prevention, detection, and treatment of incarcerated persons and correctional employees who have, or may be exposed to, infectious diseases in correctional institutions.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Nov 12, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-370.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 2, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 21, 1998Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Solomon asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
- Oct 20, 1998FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Amendment SP 3832 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 31, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 3, 1998FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Hyde moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jul 31, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 21, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- May 7, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Mar 26, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 1, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jun 25, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.