Title 46 Codification Act of 2004

TITLE 46 CODIFICATION ACT OF 2004 -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2004)

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today I rise in support of H.R. 4319, the Title 46 Codification Act of 2004. This bill, which is sponsored by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, enacts into positive law title 46 of the U.S. Code, entitled "shipping." In addition H.R. 4319 also sets forth organizational and administrative provisions regarding the Federal Maritime Commission.

Title 46 of the U.S. Code has been partially codified and enacted by Congress into law. The partial revision, as it currently exists, was begun in 1983. However, while certain laws concerning marine safety and maritime liability were codified, overall revision of title 46 was not completed. Specifically, the extensive portions of title 46 that have not been codified appear as an appendix to the title, but much of the appendix consists of numerous public laws that have been enacted over the last century with little attention to the organization of maritime law as a single body of law. As a result, the current format of title 46 is disjointed, confusing, and often without apparent logic.

This legislation is necessary largely because of the many laws that comprise the appendix date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s and are written in language that is archaic and difficult to understand. There is also a significant amount of redundancy and obsolete material within the appendix. This bill would eliminate those redundancies, obsolete provisions, and unnecessary archaic verbiage. Overall, H.R. 4319 makes significant improvements to the organization, accuracy, and clarity of title 46. I urge my colleagues to vote "yes" on this legislation.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.