United States · United States Congress · 10 October 2003
Authorizes the President to award congressional gold medals posthumously, to their next of kin, on behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in South Carolina in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et al. Directs that amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals be deposited in the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Marine Corps 230th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 500,000 one dollar coins which shall be emblematic of the warrior ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Requires all surcharges from the sale of the coins to be paid to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation for construction of the Marine Corps Heritage Center.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to Lord Robertson of Port Ellen (Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in recognition of his contributions to maintaining the security of the Euro-Atlantic region.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2003
Commends the participation of Afghan women in Afghanistan's government and civil society. Encourages the full inclusion of women in the political and economic life of their country. Advocates the protection of women's human rights in the Afghanistan Constitution.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act of 2003 - Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003 - Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize the Act; (2) the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (Identification Act) to expand the scope of DNA samples to be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); and (3) the Violence Against Women Act to authorize grants to increase the availability of legal assistance to victims of dating violence. DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003 - Amends the Identification Act to require that CODIS include only information on DNA identification records and analyses that are prepared by laboratories that: (1) have been accredited by a nationally recognized nonprofit professional association of forensic scientists within two years; and (2) undergo external audits at least every two years that demonstrate compliance with specified standards. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants for: (1) DNA training and education; (2) sexual assault forensic examination programs; (3) research and development; (4) using DNA technology to identify missing persons; and (5) tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions. Expands and reauthorizes the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program. Innocence Protection Act of 2003 - Sets forth conditions under which a Federal prisoner may obtain post-conviction DNA testing of specific evidence. Directs the Attorney General to award grants to States to improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Business Activity Tax Simplification Act of 2003 - Amends Federal law concerning the taxation of interstate commerce to expand the scope of the protections prohibiting taxation by jurisdictions of the income of out-of-state corporations whose in-state presence is nominal from just tangible personal property to include intangible property and services. Requires an out-of-state company to have a physical presence in a State before the State can impose franchise taxes, business license taxes, and other business activity taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 1 October 2003
Tax Reform Action Commission Act of 2003 - Establishes in the legislative branch a Tax Reform Action Commission to make specific recommendations to Congress for the reform of the internal revenue laws in a manner that produces a system that is: (1) simple, transparent, and efficient; (2) fair and equitable to all Americans; and (3) neutral between different activities and between current consumption and future consumption.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2003
Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue one dollar coins emblematic of the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin (not more than 250,000 bearing his image as a young statesman and not more than 250,000 with his image as an older numismatist). Directs that all sales include a $10 per coin surcharge, which shall be paid by the Secretary to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission, to be used to educate people about Franklin's legacy.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2003
District of Columbia Personal Protection Act - Amends the District of Columbia Code to provide that the D.C. Council's regulatory authority regarding firearms, explosives, and weapons in the District shall not be construed to permit the Council, the Mayor, or any governmental or regulatory authority of the District to prohibit, constructively prohibit, or unduly burden the ability of persons otherwise permitted to possess firearms under Federal law from acquiring, possessing in their homes or businesses, or using for sporting, self-protection or other lawful purposes, any firearm neither prohibited by Federal law nor regulated by the National Firearms Act. Denies the District any authority to enact laws or regulations that discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms. Amends the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 to repeal the definition of a machine gun as any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading. (Thus repeals the ban on semiautomatic weapons.) Repeals the District's: (1) registration requirement for possession of firearms; (2) prohibition on registration of pistols (handguns); (3) prohibition on possession of handgun ammunition; (4) requirement that, under certain conditions, firearms in the possession of certain individuals must be kept unloaded, disassembled, or with the trigger locked; (5) related firearm registration requirements such as applicant qualifications and filing deadline. Maintains the current ban on the possession and control of a sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, or short-barreled rifle. Eliminates criminal penalties for possessing an unregistered firearm. Amends Federal law to eliminate criminal penalties for carrying a pistol whether loaded or unloaded in one's dwelling house, place of business, or on land possessed by such person.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2003
Honors the accomplishments of Seeds of Peace for promoting understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and other regions of conflict around the world. Offers Seeds of Peace as a model of hope that living together in peace and security is possible.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable income tax credit of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified hearing aid for an individual who is either: (1) age 55 or older; or (2) is claimed as a dependent of the taxpayer.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Commends the people and the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for conducting transparent participatory elections. Expresses the desire of Congress that this process toward democratization continue to thrive to become a model for other Arab countries. Reaffirms the friendship and special relations that exist between the peoples of the United States and Jordan. Offers the commitment of Congress to assist Jordan in its future challenges of democratic reform to ensure democracy is able to grow and flourish. Commends His Majesty King Abdullah II for his efforts in promoting political, economic, and social reforms, and for his unequivocal determination to promote peace in the Middle East.
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Taiwan deserves full and equal membership in the United Nations and other international organizations; and (2) the United States should take a leading role in gaining international support for Taiwan's participation in these organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 September 2003
Commends the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) for its major contributions to the strengthening of democracy around the world, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of NED's establishment. Declares that Congress endeavors to continue to support NED's vital work.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2003
Exempts from the requirement to pay subsistence charges while hospitalized in a military facility an officer or former officer, or an enlisted member or former enlisted member not entitled to retired or retainer pay or equivalent pay, who is hospitalized in a military facility because of an injury incurred: (1) as a direct result of armed conflict; (2) while engaged in hazardous service; (3) in the performance of duty under conditions simulating war; or (4) through an instrumentality of war.
United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2003
Terrorist Penalties Enhancement Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to require any person who, in the course of committing a terrorist offense, engages in conduct that results in the death of a person, to be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or life. Includes "terrorist offenses resulting in death" among the aggravating factors for homicide which are used in determining whether a death sentence is justified. Denies Federal benefits to any individual who is convicted of a Federal crime of terrorism, for any term of years or for life.
United States · United States Congress · 24 July 2003
Continuity in Representation Act of 2003 - Requires States to hold special elections to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives within 21 days after a vacancy is announced by the Speaker of the House in the extraordinary circumstance that vacancies in representation from the States exceed 100. Waives the 21-day requirement if a regularly scheduled general election for the office involved is to be held at any time within 51 days after the vacancy announcement.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2003
Small Business Liability Reform Act of 2003 - Allows punitive damages to be awarded against a small business only if the claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that conduct carried out by the defendant with a conscious, flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of others was the proximate cause of the harm that is the subject of the action. Limits such punitive damages to the lesser of three times the amount awarded for economic and noneconomic losses, or $250,000. Makes such limitation inapplicable if the court finds that the defendant acted with specific intent to cause the type of harm for which the action is brought. Provides liability limitation exceptions. States that in any civil action against a small business: (1) each defendant shall be liable only for the amount of noneconomic loss allocated to that defendant in direct proportion to the percentage of responsibility of that defendant for the harm caused to the plaintiff; and (2) the court shall render a separate judgment against each defendant describing such percentage of responsibility. Excepts from such liability limitations specified misconduct of a defendant. Mandates that, in any product liability action covered by this Act, a product seller other than a manufacturer shall be liable to a claimant only if such claimant establishes that: (1) the product that caused the harm was sold, rented, or leased by the seller, the seller failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the product, and such failure was the proximate cause of harm to the plaintiff; (2) the seller made an express warranty applicable to such product, the product failed to conform to the warranty, and such failure caused the harm to the plaintiff; or (3) the product seller engaged in intentional wrongdoing, and such wrongdoing caused the harm to the plaintiff.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2003
Reiterates the condemnation of the House of Representatives of the attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 18, 1994, and honors its victims. Urges the Government of Argentina to fulfill its international obligations and its promise to the Argentine people by pursuing the local and international connections to this act of terrorism, wherever it may lead, and to properly punish all those involved. Welcomes Argentine President Nestor Kirchner's political will to pursue the investigation of the bombing of the AMIA to its ultimate conclusions. Calls on the President of the United States to: (1) raise this issue in bilateral discussions with Argentine officials; and (2) underscore the U.S. concern regarding the past delay in the resolution of this case. Recommends that the President of the United States create more mechanisms for intra-regional information sharing and, where needed, joint counter-terrorism operations. Encourages the President of the United States to provide democratic governments in South America and Central America with the necessary financial resources as well as equipment and training for intelligence and security forces. Recommends that the U.S. Representative to the Organization of American States seek support from the countries composing the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism to assist, if needed, in the investigation of this terrorist attack. Calls on all governments in the Western Hemisphere to pursue an anti-terrorism campaign based on unity of purpose, dedication of resources, constant vigilance, and cooperation. Calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to: (1) respond favorably to the Argentine arrest warrant for five Iranian citizens believed to be responsible for the 1994 attack on the AMIA; and (2) cease any and all assistance to terrorist organizations, and renounce any and all involvement with terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Armored Car Crew Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit: (1) taking by force and violence or by intimidation, or obtaining by extortion, any property, money, or other thing of value from an armored car; (2) assaulting any person or putting the life of any person in jeopardy by the use of a dangerous weapon or device in committing such offense; and (3) killing any person or forcing any person to accompany the offender without that person's consent in committing such offense, in avoiding apprehension for such offense, or in freeing himself or herself from arrest or confinement for such offense.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2003
Home School Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 - Expresses the sense of the Congress that parents who choose private home education should be encouraged within the framework provided by the Constitution. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) with respect to: (1) student aid eligibility of home-schooled students who have satisfied certain secondary education standards; and (2) institutional aid eligibility of the higher education institutions that such students attend. Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to provide, if a parent does not consent to an initial evaluation or special education or related services for a child with a disability, the local educational agency shall not be required to convene an individualized education program (IEP) meeting or develop an IEP for such child. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to qualified elementary and secondary education expenses (the Coverdell Education Savings Account) to include home schools if they are treated as a home school or private school under State law. Amends the part of the General Education Provisions Act known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to prohibit release of certain information on and educational records of students in non-public education, including any student educated at home or in a private school in accordance with State law, without written parental consent. Amends HEA to include students at home schools, whether treated as a home school or a private school under State law, among those prospective secondary school graduates eligible to apply for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program for higher education. Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to direct the Secretary of Labor to extend the hours and periods of permissible employment of employees between the ages of 14 and 16 years who are privately educated at a home school, whether the home school is treated as a home school or a private school under State Law, beyond those hours and periods applicable to employees of such ages who are educated in traditional public schools. (Thus allows home-school students to be employed during the traditional school day.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2003
Terminates a provision that requires the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors on the construction work performed on Federal-aid highway projects are paid prevailing rate wages. Permits a State to enact a law to provide for continued enforcement of the requirements of such provision in that State.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Parent's Right to Know Act of 2003 - Prohibits making available any funds appropriated for carrying out title X of the Public Health Service Act (Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs) to any family planning project under specified provisions of that title if any service provider in the project knowingly provides contraceptive drugs or devices to a minor, unless: (1) the minor is emancipated; (2) by court direction; (3) the provider has given actual written notice to the custodial parent or guardian five days in advance; or (4) the minor has written consent of a custodial parent or guardian.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Establishes the Federal Interagency Task Force to Promote the Benefits, Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology to improve interagency cooperation and to disseminate scientific information on the benefits, safety, and potential uses of biotechnology.
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2003
Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2003 - Declares that the sunset provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 shall not apply to Title V: Estate, Gift, and Generation-skipping Transfer Tax Provisions of such Act. (Makes the repeal of estate and generation-skipping taxes under the Internal Revenue Code, and certain reductions of the gift tax, permanent.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2003
Expresses support for the goals and ideals of the Year of the Korean War Veteran (2003 marks the final year of the United States' 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration and the 50th year of the Armistice).
United States · United States Congress · 5 June 2003
Children's Hope Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a credit ($100, $200 for joint return) which is dependent on enactment of State qualified scholarship tax credits and which is allowed against the Federal income tax for charitable contributions to education investment organizations (as defined by this Act) that provide qualifying assistance for elementary and secondary education. Excludes from gross income amounts received from an education investment organization for qualified elementary and secondary education expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2003
Includes the Secretary of Homeland Security in the line of presidential succession after the Attorney General. Modifies succession requirements relating to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore to specify, instead, persons holding the office of Speaker or President pro tempore at the time of the need for the succession. Provides that an individual acting as President shall continue to do so until the expiration of the then current Presidential term (as under current law), or until the individual's earlier death, resignation, removal from office, or inability, unless the individual's discharge of the powers and duties of the office is founded in whole or in part on the inability of the President or Vice President, in which case the individual shall act only until the removal of the President's or Vice President's disability. Exempts an acting President from automatic resignation of his or her current office if such person's service as acting President is based in whole or in part on the temporary incapacity of the President or Vice President. Removes acting cabinet officers from the line of presidential succession.
United States · United States Congress · 22 May 2003
Highway Funding Equity Act of 2003 - Revises Federal highway funding minimum guarantee provisions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation, for each of FY 2004 through 2009, to allocate among the States amounts sufficient to ensure that: (1) the percentage for each State of the total apportionments for the fiscal year for the National Highway System (NHS), the high priority projects program, the Interstate maintenance program, the surface transportation program, metropolitan planning, the highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the recreational trails program, the Appalachian development highway system, and the basic minimum guarantee equals or exceeds 95 percent of the ratio that the estimated tax payments to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) attributable to highway users in the State bears to such payments attributable to highway users in all States (with a specified exception for any State having a population density of less than 50 individuals per square mile); and (2) when HTF allocations (other than from the Mass Transit Account, for such programs, emergency relief, and the discretionary minimum guarantee) for the fiscal year have been identified, the percentage for each State of all of those allocations for the fiscal year equals or exceeds the percentage that is equal to 95 percent of such tax payments ratio. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the programmatic distribution of NHS funds exceeding $2.8 billion; (2) the apportionment of the remainder of funds to the States; and (3) required adjustments where the sum of State percentages exceeds 100.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2003
Authorizes: (1) the presiding judge of a U.S. appellate or district court to permit the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting, or televising to the public of court proceedings; and (2) the Judicial Conference of the United States to promulgate advisory guidelines for the management and administration of such coverage. Directs: (1) the district court, upon the request of any witness in a trial proceeding other than a party, to order the witness's face and voice to be disguised or otherwise obscured to the broadcast audience; and (2) the presiding judge to inform each witness of his or her right to make such request.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain in recognition of his contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to strike such medal and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell bronze duplicates.
United States · United States Congress · 15 May 2003
Bail Bond Fairness Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit a judicial officer from declaring forfeited a bail bond for violation of specified collateral release conditions other than failing to appear in court. Makes forfeiture of a bail bond for violation of such collateral release conditions unavailable as a sanction. Amends rule 46 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to provide that if the defendant fails to appear physically before the court (currently, if there is a breach of condition of a bond), the district court shall declare a forfeiture of the bail.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2003
Supports and commends the contribution of pregnancy resource centers, their staffs and volunteers. Encourages government agencies at all levels to assist such centers and decries any attempts to prevent their use.
United States · United States Congress · 9 May 2003
Declares that the warm relations and bilateral exchanges between the U.S. people and the Taiwanese people should continue and grow deeper. Recognizes the important contributions of Taiwanese-Americans to the United States. Supports the goals and ideals of Taiwanese-American Heritage Week.
United States · United States Congress · 7 May 2003
Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003 or Laci and Conner's Law - Provides that: (1) whoever engages in conduct that violates specified provisions of the Federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, or specified articles the Uniform Code of Military Justice (conduct constituting certain Federal violent crimes) and thereby causes the death of, or bodily injury to, a child who is in utero, shall be guilty of a separate offense; and (2) the punishment for that separate offense shall be the same as that provided under Federal law for that conduct had that injury or death occurred to the unborn child's mother. Specifies that a violation of such provisions does not require proof that: (1) the person engaging in the conduct had knowledge or should have had knowledge that the victim of the underlying offense was pregnant; or (2) the defendant (or accused) intended to cause the death of, or bodily injury to, the unborn child. Prohibits imposition of the death penalty for an offense under this Act. Bars prosecution under this Act: (1) of any person for conduct relating to an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman, or a person authorized by law to act on her behalf, has been obtained or for which such consent is implied by law; (2) for conduct relating to any medical treatment of the pregnant woman or her unborn child; or (3) of any woman with respect to her unborn child.
United States · United States Congress · 6 May 2003
Honors the city of Dayton, Ohio, and its many partners, for hosting "Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration," a celebration of the centennial of Wilbur and Orville Wright's first flight.
United States · United States Congress · 1 May 2003
Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue not more than 100,000 $5 gold coins and 500,000 $1 silver coins, which shall be emblematic of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia (the first permanent English settlement in America). Provides for a $35 per coin surcharge for the $5 dollar coins and $10 per coin for the $1 dollar coins. Directs that: (1) half of the surcharges be used to support programs to promote the understanding of the legacies of Jamestown (to be paid to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation); and (2) half be used to sustain the ongoing mission of preserving Jamestown, to enhance national and international educational programs relating to Jamestown, to improve infrastructure and archeological research activities relating to Jamestown, and conduct other programs to support the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown (to be distributed by the Secretary in equal shares to the Secretary of the Interior, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation).
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2003
Authorizes the President to present a gold medal in recognition of Jackie Robinson's contributions to the Nation. Calls for designation of a national day recognizing Robinson's accomplishments.
United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2003
Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 - Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) the Government of Syria should immediately and unconditionally halt support for terrorism, permanently and openly declare its total renunciation of all forms of terrorism, and close all terrorist offices and facilities in Syria, including the offices of Hamas, Hizballah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command; (2) the Government of Syria should take other specified steps to withdraw its armed forces from Lebanon, halt development of certain weapons, halt illegal imports and transshipments of Iraqi oil and illegal sales and supplies of weapons and military-related equipment to Iraq; (3) the Government of Lebanon should deploy the Lebanese armed forces to all areas of Lebanon, including South Lebanon, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 520 (September 17, 1982) (Security Council Resolution 520); (4) the Governments of Lebanon and Syria should enter into serious unconditional bilateral negotiations with the Government of Israel in order to realize a full and permanent peace; (5) the United States should continue to provide humanitarian and educational assistance to the people of Lebanon only through appropriate private, nongovernmental organizations and appropriate international organizations, until such time as the Government of Lebanon asserts sovereignty and control over all of its territory and borders and achieves full political independence; and (6) being in violation of several key United Nations Security Council resolutions and pursuing policies which undermine international peace and security, Syria should not have been permitted to join the United Nations Security Council or serve as the Security Council's President, and should be removed from the Security Council. Declares that it is U.S. policy: (1) Syria will be held responsible for attacks committed by Hizballah and other terrorist groups with offices or other facilities in Syria, or bases in areas of Lebanon occupied by Syria; (2) the United States shall impede Syria's ability to support acts of international terrorism and efforts to develop or acquire weapons of mass destruction; (3) the Secretary of State will continue to list Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism until it ends support for terrorism, including its support of Hizballah and other terrorist groups in Lebanon and its hosting of terrorist groups in Damascus, and comes into full compliance with U.S. law relating to terrorism and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 (September 28, 2001); (4) efforts against Hizballah will be expanded given the recognition that Hizballah is equally or more capable than al Qaeda; (5) the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity is in the U.S. national security interest; (6) Syria is in violation of Security Council Resolution 520 through its continued occupation of Lebanese territory and its encroachment upon its political independence; (7) Syria's obligation to withdraw from Lebanon is not conditioned upon progress in the Israeli-Syrian or Israeli-Lebanese peace process but derives from Syria's obligation under Security Council Resolution 520; (8) Syria's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs threaten the security of the Middle East and U.S. national security interests; (9) Syria is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 (August 6, 1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions through its continued purchase of oil from Iraq and shipments of weapons and other military equipment to Iraq; (10) Syria will be held accountable for any harm to Coalition armed forces of Operation Iraqi Freedom caused by shipments of military supplies from Syria to Iraq; and (11) the United States will not provide any assistance to Syria and will oppose multilateral assistance for Syria until Syria withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon, halts the development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction and medium and long range surface to surface ballistic missiles, and complies with Security Council Resolution 661 and subsequent relevant resolutions. Sets forth the following penalties against Syria until the President determines and certifies to Congress that Syria meets the requirements of this Act. Directs the President to prohibit the export to Syria of any item, including the issuance of an export license, on the United States Munitions List or Commerce Control List of dual-use items in the Export Administration Regulations. Requires the President, at the same time, to impose two or more of the following sanctions: (1) prohibit the export to Syria of U.S. products (other than food and medicine); (2) prohibit U.S. businesses from investing or operating in Syria; (3) restrict Syrian diplomats in Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations in New York City, to travel only within a 25-mile radius of Washington, D.C., or the United Nations headquarters building, respectively; (4) prohibit aircraft of any air carrier owned or controlled by Syria to take off from, land in, or overfly the United States; (5) reduce U.S. diplomatic contacts with Syria (other than those required to protect U.S. interests or carry out the purposes of this Act); and (6) block transactions in any property in which the Government of Syria has any interest, by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Authorizes the President to waive such sanctions for one or more six-month periods if the President determines that it is in the vital national security interest of the United States to do so and reports his reasons to Congress. Authorizes the President to provide development assistance to Syria and Lebanon under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 if he certifies to Congress that: (1) Syria meets the requirements of this Act; (2) substantial progress has been made both in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Syria and in negotiations aimed at achieving a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon; and (3) the Government of Syria is strictly respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, and political independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclusive authority of the Government of Lebanon through the Lebanese army throughout Lebanon, as required under Security Council Resolution 520. Requires annual reports to the appropriate congressional committees on Syria's progress in complying with the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that France, Germany, and Russia should: (1) work with the World Bank, the European Union, and other multilateral organizations to create a debt forgiveness program to assist Iraq in its reconstruction; and (2) recognize the responsibility that they bear for the transfer of military technology to a terrorist regime in Iraq and work to build stronger internal export controls so that such technology will no longer be exported to terrorist regimes, thus creating similar future debts.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Child Custody Protection Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor across a State line to obtain an abortion and thereby abridging the right of a parent under a law in force in the State where the minor resides requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision. Makes an exception if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the minor. Specifies that neither the minor transported nor her parent may be prosecuted or sued for a violation of this Act. Makes it an affirmative defense to a prosecution for, or to a civil action based on, such a violation that the defendant reasonably believed that before the minor obtained the abortion, the parental consent or notification or judicial authorization that would have been required had the abortion been performed in the State where the minor resides, took place. Authorizes any parent who suffers harm from a violation to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action. Defines "parent" to include a guardian, legal custodian, or person standing in loco parentis who has care and control of the minor, and with whom the minor regularly resides, who is designated by such law as a person to whom notification, or from whom consent, is required.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Constitutional Amendment - Declares that the rights of victims of violent crime, being capable of protection without denying the constitutional rights of those accused of victimizing them, are hereby established and shall not be denied by any State or the United States and may be restricted only as provided in this article. States that a victim of violent crime shall have: (1) the right to reasonable and timely notice of any public proceeding involving the crime and of any release or escape of the accused; (2) the rights not to be excluded from such public proceeding and reasonably to be heard at public release, plea, sentencing, reprieve, and pardon proceedings; and (3) the right to adjudicative decisions that duly consider the victim's safety, interest in avoiding unreasonable delay, and just and timely claims to restitution from the offender. States further that these rights shall not be restricted except when and to the degree dictated by a substantial interest in public safety or the administration of criminal justice, or by compelling necessity. States that nothing in this article shall be construed to provide grounds for a new trial or to authorize any claim for damages. Authorizes only the victim or the victim's lawful representative to assert the rights established by this article. Prohibits any person accused of the crime from obtaining any form of relief under this article.
United States · United States Congress · 9 April 2003
Constitutional Amendment - States that people retain the right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including schools. States that the United States and the States shall not establish any official religion nor require any person to join in prayer or religious activity.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2003
Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to increase the imprisonment penalty for animal fighting violations from one year to two years. Makes it unlawful to sell, buy, transport, or deliver in interstate or foreign commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument used in a bird-fighting venture. Revises enforcement provisions. Permits euthanasia for an animal in extreme pain. Includes the Internet or any technology as interstate instrumentality.
United States · United States Congress · 31 March 2003
Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to maintaining the security of all freedom-loving nations. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) strike such gold medal (and authorizes the Secretary to strike and sell duplicate bronze medals); and (2) deposit sums received from the sale of the bronze medals into the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Don't Feed the Bears Act of 2003 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to enforce the National Parks System regulatory prohibitions against the feeding and baiting of wildlife on National Park System lands and in wildlife refuge areas, in particular the intentional feeding of bears for the purpose of enticing them to a particular area to be hunted (bear baiting). Requires the Secretary of the Interior with respect to lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System lands, to adopt and enforce a regulation to prohibit individuals from intentionally feeding bears, including feeding for the purpose of bear baiting.
![Official portrait of Rep. Chabot, Steve [R-OH-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/c000266_200.jpg)