POSITIVE LAW CODIFICATION
TITLE 48, UNITED STATES CODE

Territories and Insular Possessions

LINKS TO PROJECT FILES

BACKGROUND

Over the past 100 years, a substantial amount of legislation has been enacted relating to the territories and insular possessions of the United States. In the United States Code, most of these provisions appear in title 48, "Territories and Insular Possessions". The bill revises and restates certain laws relating to United States territories as a new positive law title of the United States Code. The new positive law title replaces the former provisions, which are repealed by the bill.

The bill was prepared by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Office's ongoing responsibility under section 205(c) of House Resolution No. 988, 93d Congress, as enacted into law by Public Law 93-554 (2 U.S.C. 285b), "[t]o prepare, and submit to the Committee on the Judiciary one title at a time, a complete compilation, restatement, and revision of the general and permanent laws of the United States". For more information about the process of positive law codification generally, see the brochure Positive Law Codification in the United States Code.

HISTORY OF ACTIVITY INCLUDING PREDECESSOR BILLS

April 9, 2019.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel circulated an initial draft bill (and accompanying explanation) for comment.
June 26, 2019.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an initial draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 116th Congress.
April 15, 2020.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an updated draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 116th Congress.
May 3, 2021.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an updated draft bill to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 117th Congress.
April 6, 2022.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel circulated an initial draft bill (and accompanying explanation) for comment.
February 14, 2024.—The Office of the Law Revision Counsel submitted an initial draft bill (and accompanying explanation) to the House Committee on the Judiciary for introduction in the 118th Congress.

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS

Questions and comments about the project may be directed to:

     Deborah Letz
     Assistant Counsel
     Office of the Law Revision Counsel
     U.S. House of Representatives
     Washington, D.C. 20515

     Email: deborah.letz@mail.house.gov
     Telephone: (202) 226-2411

POSITIVE LAW CODIFICATION TITLE 48, UNITED STATES CODE