HR276-119

Passed House

To rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

119th Congress Introduced Jan 9, 2025

Summary

What This Bill Does

The Gulf of America Act provides that the Gulf of Mexico shall be known as the Gulf of America for United States purposes. It deems every federal reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico to be a reference to the Gulf of America. The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Chairman of the Board on Geographic Names, must oversee implementation of the renaming for federal documents and maps. Each federal agency must update its documents and maps within 180 days after enactment.

Who Benefits and How

Supporters of the Gulf of America name, federal policymakers backing the rename, Board on Geographic Names users, federal records users, federal map users, and agencies seeking a single official federal naming convention benefit from a uniform statutory name and a 180-day implementation deadline across federal records and maps.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Department of the Interior, Board on Geographic Names staff, federal agency records offices, federal mapping offices, agency web and publication teams, federal lawyers, map publishers relying on federal data, and public users of older federal records must update documents, maps, databases, regulations, legal references, and public-facing materials from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

Key Provisions

  • Provides that the Gulf of Mexico shall be known as the Gulf of America for federal purposes.
  • Provides that federal laws, maps, regulations, documents, papers, and records referring to the Gulf of Mexico are deemed to refer to the Gulf of America.
  • Directs the Interior Secretary, through the Chairman of the Board on Geographic Names, to oversee implementation for federal documents and maps.
  • Requires each federal agency to update its documents and maps within 180 days.

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Renames the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for federal purposes, deems federal legal and map references to use the new name, and requires the Interior Secretary through the Board on Geographic Names to oversee federal document and map updates within 180 days.

Key Policy Areas

Federal Administration, Maps, Commemoration

Primary Purpose

Renames the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for federal purposes, deems federal legal and map references to use the new name, and requires the Interior Secretary through the Board on Geographic Names to oversee federal document and map updates within 180 days.

Policy Domains

Federal Administration Maps Commemoration

Substantive provisions

Identified Gains
  • Supporters of the Gulf of America name
  • Federal policymakers backing the rename
  • Board on Geographic Names users
  • Federal records users
  • Federal map users
  • Agencies seeking a single official federal naming convention
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rh
Federal map users: ,
Federal records users: ,
Board on Geographic Names users: ,
Supporters of the Gulf of America name: ,
Federal policymakers backing the rename: ,
Agencies seeking a single official federal naming convention: ,
Identified Costs
  • Department of the Interior
  • Board on Geographic Names staff
  • Federal agency records offices
  • Federal mapping offices
  • Agency web and publication teams
  • Federal lawyers
  • Map publishers relying on federal data
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rh
Federal lawyers: ,
Federal mapping offices: ,
Department of the Interior: ,
Federal agency records offices: ,
Board on Geographic Names staff: ,
Agency web and publication teams: ,
Map publishers relying on federal data: ,

Legislative Progress

Passed House
Introduced Committee Passed
May 12, 2025

Read the second time and placed on the calendar

May 12, 2025 (inferred)

Passed House (inferred from eh version)

Apr 30, 2025

Additional sponsors: Mr. Langworthy, Mr. Webster of Florida, and Mr. …

Apr 30, 2025

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …

Jan 9, 2025

Ms. Greene of Georgia (for herself, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, …

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Government
8 mentions across 2 clauses
-8 negative

Board on Geographic Names staff, Department of the Interior, Federal agency records offices

Professional Services
2 mentions across 2 clauses
-2 negative

Map publishers relying on federal data

General Public
2 mentions across 2 clauses
+2 positive

Supporters of the Gulf of America name

2/2
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown
House Roll #122

On Passage

Gulf of America Act

Passed
211 Yea 206 Nay 16 Not Voting
May 8, 2025
House Roll #121

On Motion to Recommit

Gulf of America Act

Failed
203 Yea 213 Nay 16 Not Voting
May 8, 2025

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Federal Administration Maps Commemoration
Actor Mappings
"board"
→ Board on Geographic Names
"secretary"
→ Secretary of the Interior

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology