1 U.S.C. § 112a (GENERAL PROVISIONS)
§ 112a. United States Treaties and Other International Agreements; contents; admissibility in evidence
(a) The Secretary of State shall cause to be compiled, edited, indexed, and published, beginning as of January 1, 1950, a compilation entitled “United States Treaties and Other International Agreements,” which shall contain all treaties to which the United States is a party that have been proclaimed during each calendar year, and all international agreements other than treaties to which the United States is a party that have been signed, proclaimed, or with reference to which any other final formality has been executed, during each calendar year. The said United States Treaties and Other International Agreements shall be legal evidence of the treaties, international agreements other than treaties, and proclamations by the President of such treaties and agreements, therein contained, in all the courts of the United States, the several States, and the Territories and insular possessions of the United States.
(b) The Secretary of State may determine that publication of certain categories of agreements is not required, if the following criteria are met:
(1) such agreements are not treaties which have been brought into force for the United States after having received Senate advice and consent pursuant to section 2(2) of Article II of the Constitution of the United States;
(2) the public interest in such agreements is insufficient to justify their publication, because (A) as of the date of enactment of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995, the agreements are no longer in force,1 (B) the agreements do not create private rights or duties, or establish standards intended to govern government action in the treatment of private individuals; (C) in view of the limited or specialized nature of the public interest in such agreements, such interest can adequately be satisfied by an alternative means; or (D) the public disclosure of the text of the agreement would, in the opinion of the President, be prejudicial to the national security of the United States; and
(3) copies of such agreements (other than those in paragraph (2)(D)), including certified copies where necessary for litigation or similar purposes, will be made available by the Department of State upon request.
(c) Any determination pursuant to subsection (b) shall be published in the Federal Register.
(d) The Secretary of State shall make publicly available through the Internet website of the Department of State each treaty or international agreement proposed to be published in the compilation entitled “United States Treaties and Other International Agreements” not later than 180 days after the date on which the treaty or agreement enters into force.
(Added Sept. 23, 1950, ch. 1001, § 2, 64 Stat. 980; amended Pub. L. 103–236, title I, § 138, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 397; Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, § 7121(a), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3807; Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LIX, § 5947(b), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3482.)
heading: Amendment of Section
text: Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LIX, § 5947(b), (c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3482, provided that, effective 270 days after Dec. 23, 2022, this section is amended by striking subsections (b), (c), and (d) and by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
(b) Copies of international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments in the possession of the Department of State, but not published, other than the agreements described in section 112b(b)(3)(A), shall be made available by the Department of State upon request.
See 2022 Amendment note below.
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: References in Text
text: The date of enactment of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995, referred to in subsec. (b)(2)(A), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 103–236, which was approved Apr. 30, 1994.
heading: Amendments
text: 2022—Subsecs. (b) to (d). Pub. L. 117–263 added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsecs. (b) to (d) which related to determination that publication of certain categories of agreements is not required, publication of such determination in the Federal Register, and timely availability of certain treaties and international agreements on the Department of State website.
2004—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 108–458 added subsec. (d).
1994—Pub. L. 103–236 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsecs. (b) and (c).
heading: Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
heading: Effective Date of 2022 Amendment
text: Pub. L. 117–263, div. E, title LIX, § 5947(c), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3482, provided that: “The amendments made by this section [amending this section, section 112b of this title, and section 195c of Title 6, Domestic Security] shall take effect on the date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.”
heading: Effective Date of 2004 Amendment
text: Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, § 7122, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3808, provided that: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act [see Tables for classification], this subtitle [subtitle A (§§ 7101–7122) of title VII of Pub. L. 108–458, enacting sections 2228, 2732, 3922b, 4029, 7536a, and 7555 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse, amending this section, section 112b of this title, section 1189 of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality, sections 2651a, 2656f, 4003, 7513, 7514, 7518, 7536, 7537, 7538, and 7554 of Title 22, and section 4605 of Title 50, War and National Defense, repealing section 2374 of Title 22, enacting provisions set out as notes under section 1189 of Title 8, sections 1431, 2451, 2452, 2651a, 2656, 2656f, 7501, 7511, 7513, 7514, and 7536 of Title 22, and section 4605 of Title 50, and amending provisions set out as a note under section 112b of this title] shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 17, 2004].”
heading: Effect of Repeal of Section 73 of Act Jan. 12, 1895
text: This section and section 112 of this title as not affected by the repeal of section 73 of act Jan. 12, 1895, ch. 23, 28 Stat. 615, which related to the same subject matter, see section 56(i) of act Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655, 65 Stat. 729.
heading: Written Requests for Documents
text: Copies of United States Treaties and Other International Agreements not available to Senators or Representatives unless specifically requested by them, in writing, see Pub. L. 94–59, title VIII, § 801, July 25, 1975, 89 Stat. 296, set out as a note under section 1317 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents.