103 STAT. 558 PUBLIC LAW 101-77—AUG. 11, 1989 Public Law 101-77 101st Congress Joint Resolution Aug. 11, 1989 [H.J. Res. 363] To designate 1989 as "United States Customs Service 200th Anniversary Year". Whereas July 31, 1989, marks the 200th anniversary of the signing by President George Washington of legislation establishing the United States Customs Service; Whereas the controls on imports and exports and on shipping and trade, deemed essential by the founders of the Republic would have been impossible without implementation by an honest, resourceful, and efficient Customs Service; Whereas the Collector of Customs, the Customs House, and the Customs officer have stood for 200 years as the symbols of Federal authority in the ports and on the waterfronts; Whereas after 200 years the ever more complex demands of our economy and our civilization require the Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury to remain alert and ready to perform on short notice a widening variety of tasks; Whereas the men and women of the United States Customs Service have been the first line of defense against the entry into the United States of illicit drugs and other contraband goods; Whereas the United States Customs Service has protected the eco- nomic well-being of the Nation against predatory trade practices and violation of intellectual property rights; Whereas the United States Customs Service is one of the oldest of the Federal agencies, having been created by the 5th Act of the 1st Congress; and Whereas the United States Customs Service was the source of the creation of many Federal agencies, is the principal United States border agency, and enforces all laws of the United States at our border: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That 1989 is designated as "United States Customs Service 200th Anniversary Year", and the President of the United States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the year with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Approved August 11, 1989. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.J. Res. 363: CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 135 (1989): July 19, considered and passed House. July 27, considered and passed Senate.
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