1625-0119 Stat/Authority

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TITLE 14—COAST GUARD

Guard, as set out in section 1 of this Act, in which any
section is placed, nor by reason of the catch lines used
in such title.’’
SEPARABILITY
Act Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, § 2, 63 Stat. 557, provided
that: ‘‘If any part of Title 14, United States Code, as enacted by section 1 of this Act, shall be held invalid the
remainder of such title shall not be affected thereby.’’
ORDERS, RULES, AND REGULATIONS
Act Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, § 4, 63 Stat. 558, provided
that: ‘‘All orders, rules, and regulations of the Coast
Guard in effect under provisions of law superseded or
amended by this Act shall, to the extent they would
have been authorized under this Act, remain in force
and effect as the regulations and orders under the provisions of this Act and shall be administered and enforced under this Act as nearly as may be until specifically repealed, amended, or revised.’’
REDUCTION IN GRADE, RANK, PAY, ALLOWANCES, AND
BENEFITS
Act Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, § 5, 63 Stat. 558, provided
that: ‘‘Nothing contained in this Act shall operate to
abolish or reduce the grade, rank, rating, pay, allowances, or other benefits to which any person in the
Coast Guard is entitled on the effective date of this
Act.’’

PART I—REGULAR COAST GUARD
Chap.

1.
3.
5.
7.
9.
11.
13.
14.
15.
17.
18.
19.

Sec.

Establishment and Duties .................
Composition and Organization .......
Functions and Powers .......................
Cooperation With Other Agencies ..
Coast Guard Academy .......................
Personnel ..............................................
Pay, Allowances, Awards, and
Other Rights and Benefits ............
Coast Guard Family Support and
Child Care .........................................
Acquisitions ..........................................

1
41
81
141
181
211

Administration .....................................
Coast Guard Housing Authorities ..
Coast Guard Environmental Compliance and Restoration Program 1 ..................................................

631
680

461
531
561

690

AMENDMENTS
2014—Pub. L. 113–281, title II, § 214(b)(2)(A), Dec. 18,
2014, 128 Stat. 3033, added item for chapter 14.
2010—Pub. L. 111–281, title IV, § 402(b), Oct. 15, 2010, 124
Stat. 2950, added item for chapter 15.
1996—Pub. L. 104–324, title II, § 208(c), Oct. 19, 1996, 110
Stat. 3913, added item for chapter 18.
1989—Pub. L. 101–225, title II, § 222(b), Dec. 12, 1989, 103
Stat. 1918, added item for chapter 19.
1950—Act May 5, 1950, ch. 169, §§ 5, 14(v), 64 Stat. 148,
repealed item for chapter 15 ‘‘Discipline and Related
Matters———561’’, effective May 31, 1951.

CHAPTER 1—ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES
Sec.

1.
2.
3.
4.
[5.

Establishment of Coast Guard.
Primary duties.
Department in which the Coast Guard operates.
Secretary defined.
Omitted.]
AMENDMENTS

Pub. L. 112–213, title II, § 217(1), Dec. 20, 2012, 126 Stat.
1555, amended analysis generally, substituting items 1
1 So

in original. Does not conform to chapter heading.

§1

to 4 for former items 1 ‘‘Establishment of Coast
Guard’’, 2 ‘‘Primary duties’’, 3 ‘‘Relationship to Navy
Department’’, 4 ‘‘Operation as a service in the Navy’’,
and 5 ‘‘ ‘Secretary’ defined’’.

§ 1. Establishment of Coast Guard
The Coast Guard, established January 28, 1915,
shall be a military service and a branch of the
armed forces of the United States at all times.
(Aug. 4, 1949, ch. 393, 63 Stat. 496; Pub. L. 94–546,
§ 1(1), Oct. 18, 1976, 90 Stat. 2519; Pub. L. 107–296,
title XVII, § 1704(a), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2314;
Pub. L. 112–213, title II, § 217(1), Dec. 20, 2012, 126
Stat. 1555.)
HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
Based on title 14, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 1 (Jan. 28, 1915, ch.
20, § 1, 38 Stat. 800; July 11, 1941, ch. 290, §§ 5, 6(a), 55
Stat. 585).
Said section has been divided. Provisions relating to
operation under the Navy in time of war are placed in
sections 3 and 4 of this title, and the remainder is in
this section.
This section continues the Coast Guard as a military
service and branch of the armed forces of the United
States at all times. By the act of July 11, 1941, 55 Stat.
585 (title 14, U.S.C., 1946 ed., § 1), the Coast Guard was
constituted a branch of the land and naval forces of the
United States at all times. This section therefore merely continues an existing agency and codifies existing
law on the military status of the Coast Guard, substituting ‘‘armed forces’’ for ‘‘land and naval forces’’
because of the recent establishment of the Department
of the Air Force as an ‘‘armed force’’ rather than as a
part of the ‘‘land and naval forces’’. The Coast Guard is
designated a service in the Treasury Department except when operating as a service in the Navy. This is a
better definition of the status of the Coast Guard than
one which defines it as a service under the Treasury
Department in time of peace, because the President is
authorized to place the Coast Guard under the Navy in
time of emergency, which could be in time of peace.
Changes were made in phraseology. 81st Congress,
House Report No. 557.
AMENDMENTS
2012—Pub. L. 112–213 amended section generally. Prior
to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘The Coast Guard
as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United
States at all times. The Coast Guard shall be a service
in the Department of Homeland Security, except when
operating as a service in the Navy.’’
2002—Pub. L. 107–296 substituted ‘‘Department of
Homeland Security’’ for ‘‘Department of Transportation’’.
1976—Pub. L. 94–546 substituted ‘‘Department of
Transportation’’ for ‘‘Treasury Department’’.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2002 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 107–296 effective on the date of
transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of
Homeland Security, see section 1704(g) of Pub. L.
107–296, set out as a note under section 101 of Title 10,
Armed Forces.
SHORT TITLE OF 2014 AMENDMENT
Pub. L. 113–281, § 1, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 3022, provided that: ‘‘This Act [see Tables for classification]
may be cited as the ‘Howard Coble Coast Guard and
Maritime Transportation Act of 2014’.’’
SHORT TITLE OF 2012 AMENDMENT
Pub. L. 112–213, § 1(a), Dec. 20, 2012, 126 Stat. 1540, provided that: ‘‘This Act [see Tables for classification]
may be cited as the ‘Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012’.’’