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SAFE DOSES Act

Public Law 112-186 · H.R. 4223 · 112th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 5, 2012 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI-5)

Cosponsors (6): Rep. Linda Sánchez,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Strengthening and Focusing Enforcement to Deter Organized Stealing and Enhance Safety Act of 2012 or the SAFE DOSES Act - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit, in or using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce: (1) embezzling, stealing, obtaining by fraud or deception, or knowingly and unlawfully taking, carrying away, or concealing a medical product that has not yet been made available for retail purchase by a consumer (pre-retail medical product); (2) knowingly and falsely making, altering, forging, or counterfeiting the labeling or documentation of such a product; (3) knowingly possessing, transporting, or trafficking in a product involved in such a violation; (4) buying or otherwise obtaining, or selling or distributing, with intent to defraud, such a product that has expired or been stolen; or (5) attempting or conspiring to commit such a violation.

Makes such a violation an aggravated offense if: (1) the defendant is employed by, or is an agent of, an organization in the supply chain for the product; or (2) the violation involves the use of violence, force, a threat of violence or force, or the use of a deadly weapon, results in serious bodily injury or death, or is subsequent to a prior conviction for an offense under this Act.

Prescribes criminal and civil penalties for violations, including a civil penalty of up to the greater of 3 times the economic loss attributable to the violation or $1 million.

Provides for civil forfeiture for any property which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to such a violation.

Requires the penalties under this Act to apply for the following offenses involving a pre-retail medical product: (1) interstate and foreign travel or transportation in aid of racketeering enterprises; (2) engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity; (3) breaking into or entering carrier facilities with intent to commit larceny; and (4) the transportation, sale, or receipt of stolen property. Directs the Attorney General to give increased priority to efforts to investigate and prosecute offenses involving pre-retail medical products.

Extends provisions authorizing wiretapping and requiring victim restitution to offenses relating to theft of a pre-retail medical product.

Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to offenses related to pre-retail medical product theft or robberies and burglaries involving controlled substances to reflect congressional intent that penalties are sufficient to deter and punish such offenses and to appropriately account for actual harm to the public.

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
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred to
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.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.

  1. Oct 5, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-186.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Sep 25, 2012FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 24, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Sep 22, 2012FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Jun 27, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  8. Jun 26, 2012FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  9. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  10. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4223.
  11. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  12. FloorFloor · Mr. Smith (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  13. Jun 25, 2012CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 393.
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 112-549.
  15. Jun 6, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  17. Jun 5, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Discharged.
  18. Mar 28, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  20. Mar 26, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
  21. Mar 20, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  22. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.