19 U.S.C. § 2071 (CUSTOMS DUTIES)
§ 2071. Establishment of Service; Commissioner; appointment
There shall be in the Department of the Treasury a service to be known as the United States Customs Service, and a Commissioner of Customs.1 The Commissioner of Customs,1 who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall—
(1) be at the head of the United States Customs Service;
(2) carry out the duties and powers prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury; and
(3) report to the Secretary of the Treasury through such other officials as may be designated by the Secretary.
(Mar. 3, 1927, ch. 348, § 1, 44 Stat. 1381; May 27, 1930, ch. 342, § 8, 46 Stat. 430; Ex. Ord. No. 6639, § 1a, Mar. 10, 1934; Pub. L. 101–207, § 3(b)(1), Dec. 7, 1989, 103 Stat. 1833; Pub. L. 114–125, title VIII, § 802(d)(2), Feb. 24, 2016, 130 Stat. 210.)
heading: Codification
text: Provisions that fixed the compensation of the Commissioner have been omitted as the position is under the Executive Schedule, see section 5316 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Provisions that authorized appointment of the Commissioner “without regard to the civil service laws” were omitted as the appointment is subject to the civil service laws unless specifically excepted by such laws or by laws enacted subsequent to Executive Order No. 8743, Apr. 23, 1941, issued by the President pursuant to the act of Nov. 26, 1940, ch. 919, title I, § 1, 54 Stat. 1211, which covered most excepted positions into the classified (competitive) civil service. The Order is set out as a note under section 3301 of Title 5. The position is currently excepted from the civil service rules and regulations by Schedule C, see Part 213 of Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Section was formerly classified to section 281 of Title 5 prior to the general revision and codification of Title 5 by Pub. L. 89–554, § 1, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 378.
References to the Bureau of Prohibition and to the Commissioner of Prohibition were omitted in view of the change of name of the Bureau of Prohibition to the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol by act May 27, 1930, and the abolition of the Bureau of Industrial Alcohol by Ex. Ord. No. 6639.
heading: Amendments
text: 1989—Pub. L. 101–207 amended second sentence generally. Prior to amendment, second sentence read as follows: “The Commissioner of Customs shall be at the head of the United States Customs Service, and the Commissioner of Customs shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury.”
heading: Change of Name
text: Reference to Commissioner of Customs deemed to be reference to Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection pursuant to section 802(d)(2) of Pub. L. 114–125, set out as a note under section 211 of Title 6, Domestic Security.
“United States Customs Service” substituted in text for “Bureau of Customs” pursuant to Treasury Department Order 165–23, Apr. 4, 1973, eff. Aug. 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 13037. See, also, section 308 of Title 31, Money and Finance.
heading: Effective Date
text: Act Mar. 3, 1927, ch. 348, § 7, 44 Stat. 1383, provided that: “This Act shall take effect April 1, 1927.”
heading: Transfer of Functions
text: For transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury, including functions of the Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 203(1), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6. For establishment of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security, treated as if included in Pub. L. 107–296 as of Nov. 25, 2002, see section 211 of Title 6, as amended generally by Pub. L. 114–125, and section 802(b) of Pub. L. 114–125, set out as a note under section 211 of Title 6.
Functions vested by law in Attorney General, Department of Justice, or any other officer or any agency of that Department, with respect to the inspection at regular inspection locations at ports of entry of persons, and documents of persons, entering or leaving the United States, were to have been transferred to Secretary of the Treasury by 1973 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 2, eff. July 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 15932, 87 Stat. 1091, set out in the Appendix to Title 5. The transfer was negated by section 1(a)(1), (b) of Pub. L. 93–253, Mar. 16, 1974, 88 Stat. 50, which repealed section 2 of 1973 Reorg. Plan No. 2, eff. July 1, 1973.
Functions of all officers of Department of the Treasury and functions of all agencies and employees of such Department transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Treasury, with power vested in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his functions by any of such officers, agencies, and employees, by Reorg. Plan No. 26 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 31, 1950, 15 F.R. 4935, 64 Stat. 1280, 1281, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
heading: Mandatory Advance Electronic Information for Cargo and Other Improved Customs Reporting Procedures
text: Pub. L. 107–210, div. A, title III, § 343(a), (c), Aug. 6, 2002, 116 Stat. 981, 985, as amended by Pub. L. 107–295, title I, § 108(b), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2089; Pub. L. 109–59, title XI, § 11165(a), Aug. 10, 2005, 119 Stat. 1976; Pub. L. 114–125, title I, § 111(c), Feb. 24, 2016, 130 Stat. 140; Pub. L. 115–271, title VIII, § 8003(a)(1), (b)(1), (e), Oct. 24, 2018, 132 Stat. 4074, which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to promulgate regulations providing for the transmission to the Customs Service of electronic information pertaining to cargo entering or leaving the United States and was formerly set out as a note under this section, was transferred to section 1415 of this title.
heading: Secure Systems of Transportation
text: Pub. L. 107–210, div. A, title III, § 343A, Aug. 6, 2002, 116 Stat. 985, required the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a joint task force to evaluate, prototype, and certify secure systems of transportation, required the joint task force to establish a program to evaluate and certify secure systems of international intermodal transport, provided minimum standards for the program, and mandated that the Secretary recognize certified systems of intermodal transport and report to Congress within one year of the program’s implementation, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 107–295, title I, § 108(c), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2090.
heading: Extension of Pre-Clearance Program in Aruba
text: Pub. L. 102–393, title VI, § 637, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1779, provided that: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the United States Customs Service pilot pre-clearance program authorized to be established in Aruba shall be extended through 1994.”
heading: Reports Regarding Expansion of Customs Preclearance Operations and Recovery for Damage Resulting From Customs Examinations
text: Pub. L. 101–382, title I, § 124, Aug. 20, 1990, 104 Stat. 643, as amended by Pub. L. 114–125, title VIII, § 802(d)(2), Feb. 24, 2016, 130 Stat. 210, provided that:
“(a) Customs Preclearance.—
The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall assess the advisability of expanding the use of preclearance operations by the United States Customs Service at foreign airports. The Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a report on the assessment to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate (hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘Committees’) no later than February 1, 1991.
“(b) Recovery for Customs Damage.—
“(1) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall determine and evaluate various means by which persons whose merchandise is damaged during customs examinations may seek compensation from, or take other recourse against, the United States Customs Service regarding the damage.
“(2) No later than February 1, 1991, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to the Committees a report on the evaluation required under paragraph (1), together with any legislative recommendation that the Secretary considers appropriate.
“(c) Merchandise Damage Statistics.—
The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall keep accurate statistics on the incidence, nature, and extent of damage to merchandise resulting from customs examinations and shall provide an annual summary of these statistics to the Committees.”
heading: Pilot Preclearance Program
text: Pub. L. 101–382, title II, § 233, Aug. 20, 1990, 104 Stat. 663, required the Commissioner of Customs to carry out, during fiscal years 1991 and 1992, preclearance operations at a facility of the United States Customs Service in a country within the Caribbean Basin which the Commissioner considered appropriate for testing the extent to which the availability of preclearance operations could assist in the development of tourism and to submit to Congress, as soon as practicable after Sept. 30, 1992, a report regarding those preclearance operations.
heading: Incumbent Commissioner on December 6, 1989
text: Pub. L. 101–207, § 3(b)(2), Dec. 7, 1989, 103 Stat. 1834, provided that: “The individual who is serving as the Commissioner of Customs on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 7, 1989] may continue to serve in such capacity until a Commissioner of Customs, appointed as provided in the amendment made by paragraph (1) [amending this section], takes office.”
heading: Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of United States Customs Service
text: Pub. L. 100–203, title IX, § 9503(c), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–381, which directed the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the United States Customs Service to advise the Secretary and prepare annual reports relating to commercial operations of the United States Customs Service, was repealed, effective on the date on which the Advisory Committee was established under section 4316(a) of this title [Mar. 29, 2016, see 81 F.R. 18865], by Pub. L. 114–125, title I, § 109(g)(1), Feb. 24, 2016, 130 Stat. 137.
Pub. L. 99–272, title XIII, § 13033, Apr. 7, 1986, 100 Stat. 311, which provided for the establishment of an advisory committee, whose members were to consist of representatives from the airline, shipping, and other transportation industries, the general public, and others, to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on issues related to the performance of the customs services, was repealed by Pub. L. 100–203, title IX, § 9503(d), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330–382.