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Codification Legislation

Office of the Law Revision Counsel

 

What Is Positive Law Codification?

Positive law codification is the process of preparing and enacting, one title at a time, a revision and restatement of the general and permanent laws of the United States.

Because many of the general and permanent laws that are required to be incorporated into the United States Code are inconsistent, redundant, and obsolete, the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives has been engaged in a continuing comprehensive project authorized by law to revise and codify, for enactment into positive law, each title of the Code. When this project is completed, all the titles of the Code will be legal evidence of the general and permanent laws and recourse to the numerous volumes of the United States Statutes at Large for this purpose will no longer be necessary.

Positive law codification bills prepared by the Office do not change the meaning or legal effect of a statute being revised and restated. Rather, the purpose is to remove ambiguities, contradictions, and other imperfections from the law.

Current Positive Law Codification Projects of the Office

Title 53, "Small Business"

Title 35, "Patents, Trademarks, and Other Intellectual Property"

Title 41, "Public Contracts"

Title 46, "Shipping"

Title 51, "National and Commercial Space Programs" (H.R. 4780)

Title 52, "Voting and Elections"

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