Back to all bills
HR 276119th CongressIn Committee
Gulf of America Act
Introduced: Jan 9, 2025
Infrastructure
Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
The Gulf of America Act would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and require that this name be used in all federal references. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Board on Geographic Names, to oversee the renaming and to ensure that every federal document or map reflects the new name. It sets a concrete implementation deadline: within 180 days after enactment, the head of each federal agency must update their documents and maps accordingly. In short, this is a straightforward, nationwide administrative rename of a major body of water, with a centralized process for updating official records.
Key Points
- 1Rename: The Gulf of Mexico shall be known as the Gulf of America.
- 2Reference standard: Any federal reference to the Gulf of Mexico in laws, maps, regulations, documents, papers, or other records shall be treated as referring to the Gulf of America.
- 3Implementation authority: The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Chairman of the Board on Geographic Names, shall oversee the renaming on federal documents and maps.
- 4Compliance deadline: Within 180 days after enactment, the head of every federal agency must update their documents and maps to reflect the renaming.
- 5Administrative scope: The act requires federal agencies to implement the change across all official records, ensuring consistency in naming.
Impact Areas
Primary group/area affected:- Federal agencies involved in mapping, regulation, and record-keeping (e.g., Department of the Interior, Census/Bureau, mapping services, regulatory agencies) and the Board on Geographic Names.- Geographic information systems (GIS) and cartography professionals who maintain federal maps and datasets.Secondary group/area affected:- Education, publishing, and media that rely on federal naming conventions for official references and mapping.- Businesses and governments that reference federal documents or rely on standardized geographic names for compliance, licensing, or planning.Additional impacts:- Administrative and logistical costs to update documents, signage, educational materials, and legal references; potential temporary public confusion or adjustment period as the new name is adopted.- International considerations and public perception, given that Gulf ecosystems and regional commerce involve multiple countries; potential diplomatic or symbolic implications of a name change for a well-known geographic feature.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 3, 2025