EDITORIAL RECLASSIFICATION
TITLE 25, UNITED STATES CODE

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CHANGES

In 2016, provisions from chapter 14 of title 25, United States Code, were reorganized and transferred to become four new chapters toward the end of title 25 in order to improve the organization of the title. In addition, provisions from chapters 14 and 19 of title 25 that were not of general application were omitted from the Code. No statutory text was repealed or amended. The changes were made merely to improve the organizational structure of the Code and conform existing provisions to established classification practices. For the online version of the Code, the changes occurred on September 1, 2016, after which the new Code citations were effective. For the printed version of the Code, the changes occur in supplement IV of the 2012 edition.

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR CHANGE

The Office of the Law Revision Counsel is responsible for maintaining and publishing the United States Code, which is a codification of the general and permanent laws of the United States organized into titles based on subject matter. An integral part of producing the United States Code is determining whether new law should be included in the Code and if so, where it should be placed, a process known as classification.

Classification is a challenging task because new law must be classified not only to fit logically within existing Code categories, but also to allow room for future development. Over time, due to the enactment of new laws and amendments, some areas of the Code become less organized and harder to navigate. A decision to include particular provisions can also set a precedent that later proves to enlarge the Code in unintended and unsuitable ways.

In chapter 14 of title 25, under the broad heading "Miscellaneous", over 900 sections have accumulated over the years. In 2016, the general and permanent provisions from that material were reorganized and transferred to form four new chapters, with appropriate and descriptive headings, toward the end of title 25. No statutory text was repealed or amended in the course of those transfers.

In addition, provisions from chapters 14 and 19 of title 25 that were of more specific application were omitted from the Code. Editorial omission from the Code has no effect on the validity of a law and is not a statement on its value or importance. It is merely a way of bringing preexisting provisions in the Code in line with current and well-established classification practices. Because the changes are effective as of supplement IV of the 2012 edition of the Code, sections can be seen on this website as they appeared just prior to omission by viewing them using the "2012 Ed. and Supplement III" option in the version dropdown menu at the top of each section page.

HIGHLIGHTS OF REORGANIZATION - NEW CHAPTERS IN TITLE 25

* Chapter 45, Protection of Indians and Conservation of Resources (25 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.)

* Chapter 45A, Oklahoma Indian Welfare (25 U.S.C. 5201 et seq.)

* Chapter 46, Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.)

* Chapter 47, Conveyance of Submarginal Land (25 U.S.C. 5501 et seq.)

RESOURCES FOR TRANSITION

(1) Disposition table for provisions transferred or omitted from chapters 14 and 19 of title 25

(2) Outline of new chapters 45 to 47

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

Questions and comments may be directed to:

     Office of the Law Revision Counsel

     U.S. House of Representatives

     Washington, D.C. 20515

     Email: uscode@mail.house.gov