H.R. 1268 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Ways and Means, Feb 12, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExtends U.S. customs waters to 24 nautical miles
Currently, the U.S. government can enforce customs laws (the rules about what goods can enter the country) out to 12 nautical miles from the U.S. coast. This bill extends that customs enforcement zone to 24 nautical miles from the coast, giving the government authority over a larger area of ocean. It puts two existing presidential proclamations into law.
How it affects you
This mainly affects people involved in maritime trade and shipping. Boats and cargo moving in these outer waters would now be subject to U.S. customs inspection and enforcement. Most everyday Americans won't notice a direct change, but the expansion gives the U.S. government more control over goods entering the country from the ocean.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 12, 2025)
Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act
This bill extends the customs waters territory of the United States to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States.
Under current law, customs waters means waters within four leagues (equivalent to 12 nautical miles) of the coast of the United State. This bill provides statutory authority for two presidential proclamations to extend the customs waters to 24 nautical miles from the baselines of the United States.
Specifically, the bill revises the statutory definition of customs waters to include the waters within (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.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1268
A BILL
Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act
Sponsor: Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) · Introduced Feb 12, 2025 · Foreign Trade and International Finance · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Feb 12, 2025: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.”