House passes Ratcliffe bill to prosecute possession of biotoxins

WASHINGTON — Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after Rep. John Ratcliffe’s (R-Texas) legislation, the Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of 2019, passed the House. “In Georgia, a federal court dismissed charges against a defendant for unregistered possession of ricin simply because current law failed to categorize the toxin appropriately. The Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of 2019 corrects this legislative error. I appreciate the leadership of Representative Ratcliffe in introducing this legislation to better protect Americans by ensuring people who possess or transport biotoxins receive justice. I look forward to seeing President Trump sign this bill into law.” “As a former federal prosecutor and member of the House Judiciary Committee, I’m committed to improving our nation’s laws that are intended to keep dangerous substances out of the hands of people who can use them for malign activity," said Ratcliffe. "I’m grateful that the House passed my bicameral legislation with Senator Grassley today to ensure that individuals who knowingly accumulate deadly toxins and agents without required registration will pe properly punished, and I thank Ranking Member Collins for his strong support of this effort as we work to get this bill to President Trump’s desk.” The Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of 2019 makes unregistered possession, transport, shipping or receipt of ricin a criminal act. The Senate passed this legislation as S. 744 in May 2019. The Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of 2019 now heads to the president’s desk.