Title 19 — Customs DutiesRelease 119-73
§1645 Transportation and interment of remains of deceased employees in foreign countries; travel or shipping expenses incurred on foreign ships
Title 19 › Chapter CHAPTER 4— - TARIFF ACT OF 1930 › Subtitle SUBTITLE III— - ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part Part VI— - Miscellaneous Provisions › § 1645
Summary
Customs funds may pay to bring home and bury customs officers and employees who die while on foreign duty when the Secretary of the Treasury orders it in writing. Despite section 601 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1928, travel expenses on foreign ships can be credited if the Secretary certifies to the Comptroller General they were necessary to protect revenue.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §1645
Customs Duties — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The expense of transporting the remains of customs officers and employees who die while in or in transit to foreign countries in the discharge of their official duties, to their former homes in this country for interment, and the ordinary and necessary expenses for such interment, at their posts of duty or at home, are authorized to be paid upon the written order of the Secretary of the Treasury. The expenses authorized by this subdivision shall be paid from the appropriation for the collection of the revenue from customs.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of section 601 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1928, or of any other law, any allowance, within the limitations prescribed by law, for travel or shipping expenses incurred on a foreign ship by any officer or employee of the Bureau of Customs or the Customs Service, shall be credited if the Secretary of the Treasury certifies to the Comptroller General that transportation on such foreign ship was necessary to protect the revenue.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 601 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1928, referred to in subsec. (b), was classified to section 891r of former Title 46, Shipping, and was repealed by the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (approved
June 29, 1936, ch. 858, § 903(c), 49 Stat. 2016), but was reenacted in substance by section 901 of that Act, which was classified to section 1241 of the former Appendix to Title 46, Shipping. section 901 of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936 was subsequently repealed and restated in section 55302, 55303, and 55305 of Title 46, Shipping, by Pub. L. 109–304, §§ 8(c), 19, Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1586, 1710. For disposition of sections of the former Appendix to Title 46, see Disposition Table preceding section 101 of Title 46. Codification Section is comprised of subsecs. (a) and (c) of section 645 of act
June 17, 1930. Subsec. (b) of section 645 repealed in part section 48 of this title.
Amendments
1946—Subsec. (a). Act Aug. 2, 1946, eff. Nov. 1, 1946, repealed first sentence relating to traveling expenses of transferred employees. See section 5729 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Transfer of Functions
For
Transfer of Functions
, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury, including functions of the Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see section 203(1), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6. For establishment of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security, treated as if included in Pub. L. 107–296 as of Nov. 25, 2002, see section 211 of Title 6, as amended generally by Pub. L. 114–125, and section 802(b) of Pub. L. 114–125, set out as a note under section 211 of Title 6.
Executive Documents
Change of Name
Bureau of Customs redesignated United States Customs Service by Treasury Department Order 165–23, Apr. 4, 1973, eff. Aug. 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 13037. See, also, section 308 of Title 31, Money and Finance.
Transfer of Functions
Functions of all officers of Department of the Treasury and functions of all agencies and employees of such Department transferred, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Treasury, with power vested in him to authorize their performance or performance of any of his functions, by any of those officers, agencies, and employees, by Reorg. Plan No. 26, of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. July 31, 1950, 15 F.R. 4935, 64 Stat. 1280, 1281, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Bureau of Customs and Customs Service, referred to in text, were under Department of the Treasury.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 1645
Title 19 — Customs Duties
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73