Federal Crime Law Gets a Technical Edit: Clarifying the Status of the Northern Mariana Islands

The “Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa Criminal Justice Support Act” sounds like a big deal, but the first section is actually a piece of legislative housekeeping. It’s all about making sure the federal government’s legal definitions are clean and clear.

The Fine Print Cleanup

This section deals with the definition of “State” within a specific federal law, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. If that sounds like something pulled out of a dusty attic, you’re not wrong—it’s an old, foundational law for federal crime control funding and support. The issue here is that the language around the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) was apparently a little clunky or redundant in the existing definition (Section 2).

Essentially, Congress is striking out a wordy phrase that listed the NMI and replacing it with a simpler, standard listing. Think of it like correcting a typo in a massive contract that doesn't change the meaning, but makes it much cleaner to read. The NMI was already included for the purposes of this 1968 Act, but this technical edit ensures the definition is unambiguous and streamlined. For people in the NMI, this just means the federal government is clarifying the paperwork to ensure their status in federal criminal justice programs remains solid and easy to reference. It’s a low-key, administrative move designed purely for statutory clarity.