Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act

Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act

This bill extends the customs waters territory of the United States.

Under current law, customs waters means waters within four leagues of the coast of the United States. This bill revises the definition to include (1) the territorial sea of the United States to the limits permitted by international law in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 5928, dated December 27, 1988, that extended such limits to 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States; and (2) the contiguous zone of the United States to the limits permitted by international law in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 7219, dated September 2, 1999, that extended such limits to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5852 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5852

  To extend the customs waters of the United States from 12 nautical 
  miles to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States, 
            consistent with Presidential Proclamation 7219.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 3, 2021

     Mr. Waltz (for himself, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Mast, Mr. 
 Rutherford, and Mr. Palazzo) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To extend the customs waters of the United States from 12 nautical 
  miles to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States, 
            consistent with Presidential Proclamation 7219.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Extending Limits of U.S. Customs 
Waters Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF CUSTOMS WATERS.

    (a) Tariff Act of 1930.--Section 401(j) of the Tariff Act of 1930 
(19 U.S.C. 1401(j)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``means, in the case'' and inserting the 
        following: ``means--
            ``(1) in the case'';
            (2) by striking ``of the coast of the United States'' the 
        first place it appears and inserting ``from the baselines of 
        the United States (determined in accordance with international 
        law)'';
            (3) by striking ``and, in the case'' and inserting the 
        following: ``; and
            ``(2) in the case''; and
            (4) by striking ``the waters within four leagues of the 
        coast of the United States.'' and inserting the following: 
        ``the waters within--
                    ``(A) the territorial sea of the United States, to 
                the limits permitted by international law in accordance 
                with Presidential Proclamation 5928 of December 27, 
                1988; and
                    ``(B) the contiguous zone of the United States, to 
                the limits permitted by international law in accordance 
                with Presidential Proclamation 7219 of September 2, 
                1999.''.
    (b) Anti-Smuggling Act.--Section 401(c) of the Anti-Smuggling Act 
(19 U.S.C. 1709(c)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``means, in the case'' and inserting the 
        following: ``means--
            ``(1) in the case'';
            (2) by striking ``of the coast of the United States'' the 
        first place it appears and inserting ``from the baselines of 
        the United States (determined in accordance with international 
        law)'';
            (3) by striking ``and, in the case'' and inserting the 
        following: ``; and
            ``(2) in the case''; and
            (4) by striking ``the waters within four leagues of the 
        coast of the United States.'' and inserting the following: 
        ``the waters within--
                    ``(A) the territorial sea of the United States, to 
                the limits permitted by international law in accordance 
                with Presidential Proclamation 5928 of December 27, 
                1988; and
                    ``(B) the contiguous zone of the United States, to 
                the limits permitted by international law in accordance 
                with Presidential Proclamation 7219 of September 2, 
                1999.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the day after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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