H.R. 529 would amend the definition of customs waters toextend the distance from 12 nautical miles to 24 nautical miles from the U.S. coastline. That change would conform to the distance set by Presidential Proclamation 7219, which extended the contiguous zone of the United States—the area within which the Coast Guard enforces fiscal, immigration, customs, and other laws—to 24 nautical miles from the shore. However, the enforcement authority of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under current law is limited to the statutory definition of customs waters; thus, H.R. 529 would expand the agency’s jurisdiction.
