[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1709 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1709

 To amend title 1, United States Code, to provide for a definition of 
 the term ``State'' and to include territories therein, and for other 
                               purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2017

 Ms. Plaskett introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 1, United States Code, to provide for a definition of 
 the term ``State'' and to include territories therein, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. THE TERM ``STATE'' TO INCLUDE TERRITORIES FOR PURPOSES OF 
              FEDERAL LAW.

    (a) The Term ``State'' To Include Territories.--Chapter 1 of title 
1, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 9. Rule of construction regarding the term `State'
    ``In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any 
ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative 
bureaus and agencies of the United States, the term `State' shall 
include any territory of the United States, unless the statute, rule, 
regulation, or interpretation explicitly excludes the territories from 
the definition of the term or otherwise precludes their inclusion.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``9. Rule of construction regarding the term `State'.''.
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