An act to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a criminal penalty for threats against former Presidents, major Presidential candidates, and certain other persons protected by the Secret Service, and for other purposes.
Public Law 97-297 · H.R. 6168 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 12, 1982 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Rep. Sam Hall (D-TX-1)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Amends the Federal criminal code to establish a new offense of threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a former President, former President's family, major presidential or vice-presidential candidate or spouse of a candidate, or member of the immediate family of the President or Vice President.
Makes technical changes in criminal provisions dealing with fraud and false statements by deleting references to joint-stock land banks which have been abolished.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Administrative Law and Governmental Relations 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. 15 actions.
- Oct 12, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-297.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 1, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Sep 28, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Sep 16, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 19, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 16, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- Aug 11, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 20, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- Jun 23, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- May 13, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Apr 29, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Apr 27, 1982CommitteeCommittee · 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.