Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) delivered the following opening remarks, as prepared, during the markup of H.R. 3239, To make improvements in the enactment of title 41, United States Code, into a positive law title and to improve the Code:

"One of the important responsibilities the House gives this Committee is to oversee the 'Revision and codification of the Statutes of the United States.'  Keeping track of the new laws Congress passes every session is a formidable challenge.   But it is an essential part of maintaining the rule of law in our country, and it is a duty we take seriously on this Committee.

"The body of Federal law is so large and complex at this point that it would be almost completely unmanageable without the United States Code.   Currently consisting of 54 titles, the Code compiles the general and permanent laws of the United States into coherent subject areas.

"Many of us on this Committee, for example, are familiar with Title 11 of the Code, which contains the bankruptcy laws; Title 28, which governs the federal courts; and Title 17, which contains copyright laws.  The next title, Title 18, covers criminal law and procedure, a topic that occupies so much of this Committee’s work.
  
"The Code makes our federal laws accessible both to the government officials who work to fairly administer them, and to the private citizens who seek the benefits or relief the laws provide them.
     
"The Code did not appear magically out of thin air.   Congress created it in 1926 and, since that time, it has been painstakingly constructed and updated by expert lawyers working under the supervision of the House.   We all owe a great debt to the Office of Law Revision Counsel (OLRC), whose attorneys ably carry out their statutory mandate 'to develop and keep current an official and positive codification of the laws of the United States,' while maintaining strict impartiality as to legislative policy.

"H.R. 3239, offered by the Gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Fitzgerald, and the next bill we will consider, H.R. 3241, offered by the Gentlelady from Missouri, Ms. Bush, are amendments to the U.S. Code prepared by OLRC.   Pursuant to the law governing their work, OLRC has submitted these bills to the Judiciary Committee for our consideration.
 
"These two bills contain amendments related to two titles Congress recently enacted into positive law, Titles 41 and 54.   They contain purely technical changes that update the U.S. Code to reflect the new status of these titles. 
  
"I want to make it very clear that these bills do not change the meaning or effect of existing laws.   They are part of an ongoing effort to maintain the Code as an authoritative, accurate source of federal law.  
 
"OLRC has submitted several other bills to the Committee for our consideration, and I hope to schedule additional codification bills in the coming months.  I would like to thank our colleagues for introducing these two bills and I urge all Members to support this legislation."