republic-os/legal/us/code/title-49/chapter-323/section-32307.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, corpus, kind, title_number, title_name, chapter_number, chapter_name, section, citation, status, release_point, release_date, source, source_url, source_identifier, source_file, source_hash, raw_snapshot_hash, text_hash, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	corpus	kind	title_number	title_name	chapter_number	chapter_name	section	citation	status	release_point	release_date	source	source_url	source_identifier	source_file	source_hash	raw_snapshot_hash	text_hash	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
LegalText	49 U.S.C. § 32307	Investigative powers	us	united_states_code	code_section	49	TRANSPORTATION	323	CONSUMER INFORMATION	32307	49 U.S.C. § 32307	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc49@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t49/s32307	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-49/usc49.xml	0990e65627696b10734a91e83c51c554a932b2d0029a06f4f5e909a96d469ea6	0786acdd244d8f42c5a8e8ed1ec2a8dcb47dd0e02a286752710a20745702a4fb	fdd391ce5fe25a5dae855f271db803d55fcc3c39ca63d9c97bea1ca57878c3af	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

49 U.S.C. § 32307 - Investigative powers

Text

(a) General Authority.— In carrying out this chapter, the Secretary of Transportation may—

(1) inspect and copy records of any person at reasonable times;

(2) order a person to file written reports or answers to specific questions, including reports or answers under oath; and

(3) conduct hearings, administer oaths, take testimony, and require (by subpena or otherwise) the appearance and testimony of witnesses and the production of records the Secretary considers advisable.

(b) Witness Fees and Mileage.— A witness summoned under subsection (a) of this section is entitled to the same fee and mileage the witness would have been paid in a court of the United States.

(c) Civil Actions To Enforce.— A civil action to enforce a subpena or order of the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section may be brought in the United States district court for the judicial district in which the proceeding by the Secretary is conducted. The court may punish a failure to obey an order of the court to comply with the subpena or order of the Secretary as a contempt of court.

(d) Confidentiality of Information.— Information obtained by the Secretary under this section related to a confidential matter referred to in section 1905 of title 18 may be disclosed only to another officer or employee of the United States Government for use in carrying out this chapter. This subsection does not authorize information to be withheld from a committee of Congress authorized to have the information.

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1040.)

Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 32307(a)15:1944(a)–(c).Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, § 204, 86 Stat. 957. 32307(b)15:1944(e). 32307(c)15:1944(d). 32307(d)15:1944(f). In subsection (a), before clause (1), the words “In carrying out this chapter” are substituted for “For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this subchapter”, “In order to carry out the provisions of this subchapter”, and “relating to any function of the Secretary under this subchapter” for consistency. The words “or on the authorization of the Secretary, any officer or employee of the Department of Transportation” and “or his duly authorized agent” are omitted as surplus because of 49:322(b). In clause (1), the words “inspect and copy” are substituted for “have access to, and for the purposes of examination the right to copy”, and the word “records” is substituted for “documentary evidence” and “materials and information”, for consistency and to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “relevant to the study authorized by this subchapter” are omitted as surplus. In clause (2), the word “order” is substituted for “require, by general or special orders” to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “in such form as the Secretary may prescribe” and “shall be filed with the Secretary within such reasonable period as the Secretary may prescribe” are omitted as surplus because of 49:322(a). In clause (3), the words “sit and act at such times and places” are omitted as being included in “conduct hearings”. In subsection (c), the words “A civil action to enforce a subpena or order of the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section may be brought in the United States district court for the judicial district in which the proceeding by the Secretary is conducted” are substituted for 15:1944(d) (words before semicolon) for consistency in the revised title and to eliminate unnecessary words. In subsection (d), the words “reported to or otherwise” are omitted as surplus. The words “or such officer or employee” are omitted for consistency with subsection (a) of this section. The words “related to a confidential matter referred to” are substituted for “contains or relates to a trade secret or other matter referred to” to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “a committee of Congress authorized to have the information” are substituted for “the duly authorized committees of the Congress” for clarity.