Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act

How it moves voter issues

• +1Public safety & crime

  Expands the zone for intercepting drug smuggling and other illegal cargo at sea.

  Low confidence

  AI score: +1 from claude-opus-5-5. Compare the models

• +1National security & defense

  Extends U.S. customs waters from about 12 to 24 nautical miles, widening where authorities can board and inspect vessels.

  Medium confidence

  AI score: +1 from claude-opus-5-5. Compare the models

What it does

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.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, reported to house version.

Every recorded vote on it

1. Apr 30, 2024House On PassageExtending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act402 yea 6 nayCounts toward rankings