Zero Baseline Budget Act of 2007

Madam Speaker, I am introducing a bill to update and improve the codification of title 46 of the United States Code. Last year, Congress enacted H.R. 1442, which became Public Law 109-304. This legislation formally codified the various statutes in title 46 as positive law. As is typical with the codification process, a number of non-substantive revisions were made, including the reorganization of sections into a more coherent logical structure.

As with all codification legislation, that law restated and replaced existing law as in effect on a particular date. While Congress was considering H.R. 1442, it was also considering four other pieces of legislation affecting title 46. These other bills were drafted in conformance with then-existing title 46, rather than title 46 as it would be revised. These four bills were enacted after the date specified in H.R. 1442, and thus were not reflected in P.L. 109-304.

The Office of the Law Revision Counsel prepared this bill as part of its functions under 2 U.S.C. 285(b). It incorporates the four new laws into the codified title 46. It also makes other minor, non-substantive revisions and technical corrections to the codified title 46 to reflect subsequent public comments that were submitted too late to be reflected in P.L. 109-304.

It is important to emphasize that this bill is not intended to make any substantive changes in the law. It is intended simply to update the codified title 46.

The Committee on the Judiciary plans to act on this bill in the very near future, after providing an additional brief opportunity for public review and comment.