US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 267

Quarantine stations, grounds, and anchorages

(a)

Control and management

1

1 See References in Text note below.
Except as provided in title II  of the Act of , as amended, the Surgeon General shall control, direct, and manage all United States quarantine stations, grounds, and anchorages, designate their boundaries, and designate the quarantine officers to be in charge thereof. With the approval of the President he shall from time to time select suitable sites for and establish such additional stations, grounds, and anchorages in the States and possessions of the United States as in his judgment are necessary to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases into the States and possessions of the United States.

(b)

Hours of inspection

The Surgeon General shall establish the hours during which quarantine service shall be performed at each quarantine station, and, upon application by any interested party, may establish quarantine inspection during the twenty-four hours of the day, or any fraction thereof, at such quarantine stations as, in his opinion, require such extended service. He may restrict the performance of quarantine inspection to hours of daylight for such arriving vessels as cannot, in his opinion, be satisfactorily inspected during hours of darkness. No vessel shall be required to undergo quarantine inspection during the hours of darkness, unless the quarantine officer at such quarantine station shall deem an immediate inspection necessary to protect the public health. Uniformity shall not be required in the hours during which quarantine inspection may be obtained at the various ports of the United States.

(c)

Overtime pay for employees of Service

The Surgeon General shall fix a reasonable rate of extra compensation for overtime services of employees of the United States Public Health Service, Foreign Quarantine Division, performing overtime duties including the operation of vessels, in connection with the inspection or quarantine treatment of persons (passengers and crews), conveyances, or goods arriving by land, water, or air in the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, hereinafter referred to as “employees of the Public Health Service”, when required to be on duty between the hours of 6 o’clock postmeridian and 6 o’clock antemeridian (or between the hours of 7 o’clock postmeridian and 7 o’clock antemeridian at stations which have a declared workday of from 7 o’clock antemeridian to 7 o’clock postmeridian), or on Sundays or holidays, such rate, in lieu of compensation under any other provision of law, to be fixed at two times the basic hourly rate for each hour that the overtime extends beyond 6 o’clock (or 7 o’clock as the case may be) postmeridian, and two times the basic hourly rate for each overtime hour worked on Sundays or holidays. As used in this subsection, the term “basic hourly rate” shall mean the regular basic rate of pay which is applicable to such employees for work performed within their regular scheduled tour of duty.

(d)

Payment of extra compensation to United States; bond or deposit to assure payment; deposit of moneys to credit of appropriation

(1)
Provided The said extra compensation shall be paid to the United States by the owner, agent, consignee, operator, or master or other person in charge of any conveyance, for whom, at his request, services as described in this subsection (hereinafter referred to as overtime service) are performed. If such employees have been ordered to report for duty and have so reported, and the requested services are not performed by reason of circumstances beyond the control of the employees concerned, such extra compensation shall be paid on the same basis as though the overtime services had actually been performed during the period between the time the employees were ordered to report for duty and did so report, and the time they were notified that their services would not be required, and in any case as though their services had continued for not less than one hour. The Surgeon General with the approval of the Secretary of Health and Human Services may prescribe regulations requiring the owner, agent, consignee, operator, or master or other person for whom the overtime services are performed to file a bond in such amounts and containing such conditions and with such sureties, or in lieu of a bond, to deposit money or obligations of the United States in such amount, as will assure the payment of charges under this subsection, which bond or deposit may cover one or more transactions or all transactions during a specified period: , That no charges shall be made for services performed in connection with the inspection of (1) persons arriving by international highways, ferries, bridges, or tunnels, or the conveyances in which they arrive, or (2) persons arriving by aircraft or railroad trains, the operations of which are covered by published schedules, or the aircraft or trains in which they arrive, or (3) persons arriving by vessels operated between Canadian ports and ports on Puget Sound or operated on the Great Lakes and connecting waterways, the operations of which are covered by published schedules, or the vessels in which they arrive.
(2)
Moneys collected under this subsection shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the appropriation charged with the expense of the services, and the appropriations so credited shall be available for the payment of such compensation to the said employees for services so rendered.

July 1, 1944, ch. 37358 Stat. 704Pub. L. 85–5871 Stat. 181Pub. L. 85–580, title II, § 20172 Stat. 467Pub. L. 96–88, title V, § 509(b)93 Stat. 695(, title III, § 364, ; , ch. VII, § 701, , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act June 15, 1917, ch. 30, title II40 Stat. 220Pub. L. 115–282, title IV, § 407(b)(1)132 Stat. 4267Section 193 of Title 50act June 25, 1948, ch. 645, § 2162 Stat. 862Title II of the Act of , referred to in subsec. (a), is , , which was formerly classified to sections 191, 192, 193 and 194 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Sections 191, 192, and 194 of Title 50 were redesignated and transferred to sections 70051 to 70053, respectively, of Title 46, Shipping, by , (5), (c)(1), (3), (d)(1), (3), , . was repealed by , .

Amendments

Pub. L. 85–5801958—Subsec. (c). increased rate of pay for each hour that overtime extends beyond 6 o’clock (or 7 o’clock as the case may be) postmeridian from one and one-half times the basic hourly rate to two times the basic hourly rate.

Pub. L. 85–581957—Subsecs. (c), (d). added subsecs. (c) and (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88section 3508(b) of Title 20“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (d) pursuant to , which is classified to , Education.

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions

80 Stat. 1610section 202 of this titleFunctions of Public Health Service, Surgeon General of Public Health Service, and all other officers and employees of Public Health Service, and functions of all agencies of or in Public Health Service transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, eff. , 31 F.R. 8855, , set out as a note under .

Delegation of Functions

section 202 of this titleFunctions of President delegated to Secretary of Health Health and Human Services, see Ex. Ord. No. 11140, , 29 F.R. 1637, as amended, set out as a note under .

section 264 of this titleFor assignment of functions of President under subsec. (a) of this section, see section 3 of Ex. Ord. No. 13295, , 68 F.R. 17255, set out as a note under .