October 14, 1983
Last year about this time, the Nation was shaken by the Tylenol tragedy in Chicago. Seven people
lost their lives as a result of that vile and reprehensible act of product tampering. The
repercussions of that tragedy were felt far beyond the boundaries of Chicago, however, as every
American became keenly aware of the tremendous harm that can be done by a single deranged
person.
Although the FBI was heavily involved in the investigation of the Chicago tragedy, the
Department of Justice quickly realized that Federal jurisdiction in such cases was questionable and
that Federal law only provided misdemeanor sanctions for product tampering. During the 97th
Congress, Senator Strom Thurmond steered through the Senate legislation to establish tough
Federal sanctions for product tampering. Unfortunately, Senator Thurmond's bill was ultimately
added to a defective House bill which I found it necessary to disapprove in January.
In this Congress I included similar legislation as part of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act,
which I submitted to Congress on March 16th of this year. In addition, Senator Thurmond
reintroduced separately his product tampering legislation as S. 216 in the Senate, and
Representatives Bill Hughes and Hal Sawyer introduced similar legislation in the House. S. 216
was recently approved by the Congress.
S. 216 establishes Federal criminal jurisdiction over tampering with foods, drugs, cosmetics, and
other consumer products. The maximum penalty for such product tampering, where it results in
death, would be imprisonment for any term of years up to life plus a fine of $100,000. We believe
this will put real teeth into Federal law and provide a meaningful deterrent to product
tampering.
I cannot, however, let this occasion pass without noting that much more needs to be done by way
of criminal justice reform. The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1983 proposes a broad
range of anticrime measures. The Senate has moved quickly on this legislation and the Senate
Committee on the Judiciary has reported virtually the entire package. We expect and urge that the
full Senate will act on this legislation very soon. In light of the fact that in the 97th Congress the
Senate passed a similar bill by a vote of 95 - 1, we are optimistic that the Senate will
overwhelmingly approve this very important anticrime package.
While the Senate, both last year and again this year, has processed landmark crime legislation in
the spirit of bipartisanship and compromise, the House of Representatives has taken no action
whatsoever on the Comprehensive Crime Control Act. In the Senate, we have had bipartisan
support led by Senators Thurmond, Laxalt, Biden, and Kennedy. In the House we have had no
action, and nothing is scheduled. This is deeply troubling.
We are convinced that most Members of the House of Representatives are eager to vote on
meaningful anticrime legislation. I hope the House Committee on the Judiciary and the House
leadership will give the Members of the House an opportunity to vote on the Comprehensive
Crime Control Act of 1983. This legislative package can make a difference. It is a reasonable and
balanced package which not only strengthens criminal laws but makes those laws fairer. I urge the
House of Representatives to join the Senate in taking prompt and serious action on the
Comprehensive Crime Control Act.
Note: As enacted, S. 216 is Public Law 98 - 127, approved October 13.