United States · United States Congress · 4 February 2003
Calls for the President to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the astronauts who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia: Rick Husband; William McCool; Michael Anderson; Kalpana Chawla; David Brown; Laurel Clark; and Ilan Ramon.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Social Security for Americans Only Act of 2003 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) prohibit the wages earned, and self-employment income derived, by individuals who are not citizens or nationals of the United States from being credited for coverage under the OASDI program; and (2) provide the President with authority to enter into agreements with other nations taking into account such limitation on crediting of wages and self-employment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Prohibits any Federal entity, in providing a Federal public benefit or service, from accepting, recognizing, or relying on any identification document that was not issued by a Federal or State authority and that is not subject to verification by a Federal law enforcement, intelligence, or homeland security agency. Deems any Federal official, employee, contractor, or agent who takes action inconsistent with such prohibition to be acting beyond the scope of his or her authority and to be liable for such action, unless conferred immunity under the Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a credit for producing oil and gas from marginal wells. Extends, by five years, the credit for producing fuel from a nonconventional source.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Economic Growth Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) reduce the net capital gain tax rate; and (2) increase the amount of capital losses which may offset ordinary income.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to include, under HEA student loan forgiveness and cancellation programs, nurses who serve at least one calendar year in an approved health care facility or setting. Limits the maximum amount of such loan repayment by the Secretary of Education to not more than $2,000 after the first year of such a nurse's employment, with incremental increases after the second through fourth years, up to $5,000 after the fifth year of such employment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2003
Honors the service and sacrifice of military working dog teams that served during World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and Bosnia peacekeeping operations and those serving during current operations in the global war on terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2003
Social Security Benefits Tax Relief Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the 85 percent (second tier) taxation of Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits. Appropriates, from the general fund, to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund amounts equal to the reduction in revenue lost because of the repeal. Requires an annual report concerning the funds transferred from the general fund to the Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2003
National AMBER Alert Network Act of 2003 - Requires the Attorney General to assign an AMBER Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice to act as the national Coordinator of the AMBER Alert communications network regarding abducted children. Requires the coordinator to: (1) seek to eliminate gaps in the network; (2) work with States to encourage the development of additional network elements and to ensure regional coordination; and (3) act as the nationwide point of contact for network development and for regional coordination of alerts on abducted children through the network. Directs the Coordinator to: (1) notify and consult with the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning each child abduction for which an AMBER Alert is issued; and (2) establish minimum standards for the issuance of alerts and for the extent of their dissemination (limited to the geographic areas most likely to facilitate the recovery of the abducted child). Requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of notification or communications systems along highways for alerts and other information for the recovery of abducted children. Includes among permissible activities the development or enhancement of electronic message boards, and the placement of additional signage, along highways. Directs the Attorney General to provide grants to States for the development or enhancement of programs and activities for the support of AMBER Alert communications plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2003
Investment Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $1,500 to $10,000 ($3,000 to $20,000 on a joint return) the limitation on capital losses allowed against ordinary income.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
Enumerated Powers Act - Requires each Act of Congress to contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. Declares that failure to comply with this requirement shall give rise to a point of order in either House of Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act - Shields the manufacturer, distributor, or seller of a food or non-alcoholic beverage product intended for human consumption from civil liability, relating to consumption of such products, in Federal or State court, unless the plaintiff proves that the product was not in compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements at the time of sale.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2003
National Right-to-Work Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to repeal those provisions that permit employers, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement that is a union security agreement, to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment (including provisions permitting railroad carriers to require, pursuant to such an agreement, payroll deduction of union dues or fees as a condition of employment).
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in providing automobile purchase assistance to certain service-disabled veterans, to: (1) make a payment to the lender of the automobile loan, rather than to the seller of the car; and (2) provide such assistance directly to a veteran after such veteran purchases a car if the Secretary determines the veteran did not apply in a timely manner due to a lack of knowledge of such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2003 - Permits retired members of the armed forces with service-connected disabilities to be paid both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation. Repeals provisions providing for special compensation for certain severely disabled military retirees and certain combat-related disabled uniformed services retirees.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Housing Bond and Credit Modernization and Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the required use of certain principal repayments on mortgage subsidy bond financings to redeem bonds; (2) modify the purchase price limitation under mortgage subsidy bond rules based on median family income; and (3) define the term "area median gross income" for low-income housing credit projects.
United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2003
Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to state that churches and other houses of worship shall not lose such designation because of the content, preparation, or presentation of any homily, sermon, teaching, dialectic, or other presentation made during religious services or gatherings. States that such provision shall not affect campaign finance laws under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize qualified law enforcement officers (including certain qualified retired officers) carrying the photographic identification issued by their governmental agency, notwithstanding State or local laws, to carry a concealed firearm. Provides that such authorization shall not supersede State laws that: (1) permit private entities to prohibit the possession of concealed firearms on their property; or (2) prohibit the possession of firearms on State or local government property. Excludes from the definition of "firearm" any machine gun, firearm silencer, or destructive device.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Houston, Texas, as the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees Act - Includes as an employee, for purposes of Federal provisions authorizing enrollment under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: (1) a member of the armed forces who began service before June 7, 1956, and retired after a minimum of 20 years of such service or by reason of a service-connected disability; and (2) the surviving widow or widower of such member. Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to provide FEHB coverage to the following eligible beneficiaries: (1) a member or former member entitled to military retired or retainer pay; (2) an unremarried former spouse who was married to a member for at least 20 years, during which such member performed at least 20 years of retirement-creditable military service; (3) a dependent of a deceased qualifying member or former member; (4) a dependent of a living member or former member; and (5) a family member.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Community Choice in Real Estate Act - Amends the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and the Revised Statutes of the United States, to prohibit the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Secretary of the Treasury, respectively, from determining that real estate brokerage activity or real estate management activity is financial in nature, is incidental to any financial activity, or is complementary to a financial activity. (In effect, prohibits financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities.) Exempts from such prohibition: (1) activities of a bank holding company (or any affiliate) that directly relate to managing any real property owned by national banks or their affiliates; and (2) the right, power, or ability of any financial holding company to engage in any activity, or acquire or retain the shares of any company engaged in an activity authorized for financial holding companies on December 6, 2001 ("grandfather clause").
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Death Tax Permanency Act of 2003 - Amends title IX (Compliance with Congressional Budget Act) of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16) to repeal the sunset provisions applicable to title V (Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Taxes) of such Act. (Makes estate tax repeal permanent.) States that such amendments shall take effect as if included in section 901 of such Act.
United States · United States Congress · 7 January 2003
Rescind the Congressional Pay Raise Act - Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress. Requires the annual rate of pay for Members of Congress to be the rate payable as of December 31, 2002, until such rate is adjusted under the Federal Salary Act of 1967 or other law.
![Official portrait of Rep. Burgess, Michael C. [R-TX-26]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/b001248_200.jpg)