Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 468 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 289, 35 Stat. 1145; June 15, 1933, ch. 85, 48 Stat. 152; June 20, 1935, ch. 284, 49 Stat. 394; June 6, 1940, ch. 241, 54 Stat. 234).

Act March 4, 1909, § 289 used the words “now in force” when referring to the laws of any State, organized Territory or district, to be considered in force.

As amended on June 15, 1933, the words “by the laws thereof in force on June 1, 1933, and remaining in force at the time of the doing or omitting the doing of such act or thing, would be penal,” were used.

The amendment of June 20, 1935, extended the date to “April 1, 1935,” and the amendment of June 6, 1940, extended the date to “February 1, 1940”.

The revised section omits the specification of any date as unnecessary in a revision, which speaks from the date of its enactment. Such omission will not only make effective within Federal reservations, the local State laws in force on the date of the enactment of the revision, but will authorize the Federal courts to apply the same measuring stick to such offenses as is applied in the adjoining State under future changes of the State law and will make unnecessary periodic pro forma amendments of this section to keep abreast of changes of local laws. In other words, the revised section makes applicable to offenses committed on such reservations, the law of the place that would govern if the reservation had not been ceded to the United States.

The word “Possession” was inserted to clarify scope of section.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–132, § 901(b)(1), inserted “or on, above, or below any portion of the territorial sea of the United States not within the jurisdiction of any State, Commonwealth, territory, possession, or district” after “section 7 of this title,”.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “under this title” for “of not more than $1,000”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–132, § 901(b)(2), added subsec. (c).

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–322 designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted “Subject to paragraph (2) and for purposes” for “For purposes”, and added par. (2).

1988—Pub. L. 100–690 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).

Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 604(d), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3509, provided that: “The amendments made by this section [amending this section, sections 36, 112, 113, 241, 242, 245, 351, 511, 542, 544, 545, 668, 704, 709, 794, 1014, 1030, 1112, 1169, 1512, 1515, 1516, 1751, 1956, 1961, 2114, 2311, 2339A, 2423, 2511, 2512, 2721, 3059A, 3561, 3582, 3592, and 5037 of this title, section 802 of Title 21, Food and Drugs, sections 540A and 991 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, and sections 3631, 5633, 10604, and 14011 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, and amending provisions set out as notes under sections 1001, 1169, and 2325 of this title and section 994 of Title 28] shall take effect on the date of enactment of Public Law 103–322 [Sept. 13, 1994].”

For extension of territorial sea of United States, see Proc. No. 5928, set out as a note under section 1331 of Title 43, Public Lands.