From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 42USC264]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                    CHAPTER 6A--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
 
                SUBCHAPTER II--GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES
 
                    Part G--Quarantine and Inspection
 
Sec. 264. Regulations to control communicable diseases


(a) Promulgation and enforcement by Surgeon General

    The Surgeon General, with the approval of the Secretary, is 
authorized to make and enforce such regulations as in his judgment are 
necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of 
communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or 
possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or 
possession. For purposes of carrying out and enforcing such regulations, 
the Surgeon General may provide for such inspection, fumigation, 
disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, destruction of animals or 
articles found to be so infected or contaminated as to be sources of 
dangerous infection to human beings, and other measures, as in his 
judgment may be necessary.

(b) Apprehension, detention, or conditional release of individuals

    Regulations prescribed under this section shall not provide for the 
apprehension, detention, or conditional release of individuals except 
for the purpose of preventing the introduction, transmission, or spread 
of such communicable diseases as may be specified from time to time in 
Executive orders of the President upon the recommendation of the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Surgeon General,\1\.
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    \1\ So in original. Comma probably should not appear.
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(c) Application of regulations to persons entering from foreign 
        countries

    Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, regulations 
prescribed under this section, insofar as they provide for the 
apprehension, detention, examination, or conditional release of 
individuals, shall be applicable only to individuals coming into a State 
or possession from a foreign country or a possession.

(d) Apprehension and examination of persons reasonably believed to be 
        infected

    (1) Regulations prescribed under this section may provide for the 
apprehension and examination of any individual reasonably believed to be 
infected with a communicable disease in a qualifying stage and (A) to be 
moving or about to move from a State to another State; or (B) to be a 
probable source of infection to individuals who, while infected with 
such disease in a qualifying stage, will be moving from a State to 
another State. Such regulations may provide that if upon examination any 
such individual is found to be infected, he may be detained for such 
time and in such manner as may be reasonably necessary. For purposes of 
this subsection, the term ``State'' includes, in addition to the several 
States, only the District of Columbia.
    (2) For purposes of this subsection, the term ``qualifying stage'', 
with respect to a communicable disease, means that such disease--
        (A) is in a communicable stage; or
        (B) is in a precommunicable stage, if the disease would be 
    likely to cause a public health emergency if transmitted to other 
    individuals.

(e) Preemption

    Nothing in this section or section 266 of this title, or the 
regulations promulgated under such sections, may be construed as 
superseding any provision under State law (including regulations and 
including provisions established by political subdivisions of States), 
except to the extent that such a provision conflicts with an exercise of 
Federal authority under this section or section 266 of this title.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, Sec. 361, 58 Stat. 703; 1953 Reorg. 
Plan No. 1, Secs. 5, 8, eff. Apr. 11, 1953, 18 F.R. 2053, 67 Stat. 631; 
Pub. L. 86-624, Sec. 29(c), July 12, 1960, 74 Stat. 419; Pub. L. 94-317, 
title III, Sec. 301(b)(1), June 23, 1976, 90 Stat. 707; Pub. L. 107-188, 
title I, Sec. 142(a)(1), (2), (b)(1), (c), June 12, 2002, 116 Stat. 626, 
627.)


                               Amendments

    2002--Pub. L. 107-188, Sec. 142(a)(1), (2), (b)(1), and (c), which 
directed certain amendments to section 361 of the Public Health Act, was 
executed by making the amendments to this section, which is section 361 
of the Public Health Service Act, to reflect the probable intent of 
Congress. See below.
    Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 107-188, Sec. 142(a)(1), substituted 
``Executive orders of the President upon the recommendation of the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Surgeon General,'' for ``Executive 
orders of the President upon the recommendation of the National Advisory 
Health Council and the Surgeon General''.
    Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 107-188, Sec. 142(a)(2), (b)(1), substituted in 
first sentence ``Regulations'' for ``On recommendation of the National 
Advisory Health Council, regulations'', ``in a qualifying stage'' for 
``in a communicable stage'' in two places,designated existing text as 
par. (1) and substituted ``(A)'' and ``(B)'' for ``(1)'' and ``(2)'', 
respectively, and added par. (2).
    Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 107-188, Sec. 142(c), added subsec. (e).
    1976--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 94-317 inserted provision defining 
``State'' to include, in addition to the several States, only the 
District of Columbia.
    1960--Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 86-624 struck out reference to Territory 
of Hawaii.


                    Effective Date of 1960 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 86-624 effective Aug. 21, 1959, see section 
47(f) of Pub. L. 86-624, set out as a note under section 201 of this 
title.

                          Transfer of Functions

    Office of Surgeon General abolished by section 3 of Reorg. Plan No. 
3 of 1966, eff. June 25, 1966, 31 F.R. 8855, 80 Stat. 1610, and 
functions thereof transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and 
Welfare by section 1 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, set out as a note 
under section 202 of this title. Secretary of Health, Education, and 
Welfare redesignated Secretary of Health and Human Services by section 
509(b) of Pub. L. 96-88 which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 
20, Education.
    Functions of Federal Security Administrator transferred to Secretary 
of Health, Education, and Welfare and all agencies of Federal Security 
Agency transferred to Department of Health, Education, and Welfare by 
section 5 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953, set out as a note under section 
3501 of this title. Federal Security Agency and office of Administrator 
abolished by section 8 of Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1953. Secretary and 
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare redesignated Secretary and 
Department of Health and Human Services by section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96-
88 which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20.

 Ex. Ord. No. 12452. Revised List of Quarantinable Communicable Diseases

    Ex. Ord. No. 12452, Dec. 22, 1983, 48 F.R. 56927, provided:
    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States of America, including Section 264(b) of Title 
42 of the United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:
    Section 1. Based upon the recommendation of the National Advisory 
Health Council and the Assistant Secretary for Health of the Department 
of Health and Human Services, and for the purposes of specifying certain 
communicable diseases for regulations providing for the apprehension, 
detention, or conditional release of individuals to prevent the 
introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases, the 
following named communicable diseases are hereby specified pursuant to 
Section 264(b) of Title 42 of the United States Code: Cholera or 
suspected Cholera, Diphtheria, infectious Tuberculosis, Plague, 
suspected Smallpox, Yellow Fever, and suspected Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers 
(Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Congo-Crimean, and others not yet isolated or 
named).
    Sec. 2. Executive Order No. 9708 of March 26, 1946, Executive Order 
No. 10532 of May 28, 1954, and Executive Order No. 11070 of December 12, 
1962, are hereby revoked.
                                                          Ronald Reagan.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 201, 266, 271 of this title; 
title 21 section 381; title 49 section 24301.