United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Good Samaritan Volunteer Firefighter Assistance Act of 2003 - States that a person (including a governmental or other entity) who donates fire control or fire rescue equipment to a volunteer fire company shall not be liable for State or Federal civil damages for personal injuries, property damage or loss, or death proximately caused by the equipment after the donation. Waives such liability protection if: (1) the person's act or omission causing the injury, damage, loss, or death constitutes gross negligence, or intentional misconduct; or (2) the person is the manufacturer of such equipment.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation to Dr. Dorothy Height (President of the National Council of Negro Women) of a congressional gold medal in recognition of her many contributions to the Nation.
United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2003
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit making a telephone call or initiating a communication with a telecommunications device in interstate or foreign commerce to knowingly misinform the relative of a member of the armed forces that such member is deceased, injured, or missing due to an event associated with his or her military service.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to States and local governments to coordinate their budget-related actions with Federal Government efforts to stimulate the economy. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2003 for such payments in an amount equal to the total amount appropriated for for FY 2003 for the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund in the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2003, and subsequent appropriations Acts.Requires not less than one-third of such amount to be made available to local governments. Requires the Secretary to establish a formula for determining the allocation of payments, with priority consideration to the relative unemployment rate, median income, population, and poverty rate. Permits the use of funds received by States and local governments only for: (1) ordinary and necessary maintenance and operating expenses for education; public safety; public health; social services; roads, transportation, and water infrastructure; and housing; and (2) ordinary and necessary capital expenditures authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY 2007 the authorization of appropriations for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program (a matching grant program which helps State, tribal, and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers).
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Men's Health Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the Department of Health and Human Services an office to be known as the Office of Men's Health. Requires a report.
United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2003
Agriculture Education Freedom Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an individual any gain from the sale of any animal raised and sold by such individual as part of his or her participation in the 4-H program under the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture, the Future Farmers of America, any tax-exempt similar organization, or any program of a tax-exempt educational organization.
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 · 8 April 2003
Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2003 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) give greater weight to scientific and commercial data that is empirical or that has been field-tested or peer-reviewed in determining that a species is an endangered or threatened species; and (2) promulgate regulations that establish criteria for data to be used as the basis of such a determination. Prohibits the Secretary from determining that a species is endangered or threatened unless the determination is supported by field data. Requires the Secretary to include in the rule-making record of such a determination data collected by landowners. Requires the Secretary to publish a description of additional scientific and commercial data that would assist in the preparation of a recovery plan. Directs the Secretary to: (1) solicit recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences and develop a list of qualified reviewers to participate in independent scientific review actions; and (2) appoint from such list three individuals who shall report on the scientific information and analyses on which final action is based. Requires the Secretary, when consulting with a Federal agency to determine whether agency action will jeopardize an endangered or threatened species or destroy the critical habitat of such species, to: (1) consider information provided by affected States; and (2) allow any person who has sought agency authorization or funding for an action to participate in related consultations.
United States · United States Congress · 3 April 2003
Quality Cancer Care Preservation Act - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the payment amount for covered drugs and biologicals furnished during a calendar quarter that are not paid on a cost or prospective payment basis. Changes such amount from 95 percent of the average wholesale price to 120 percent of the average sales price of the drug or biological for the second preceding calendar quarter. Requires drug manufacturers to report average sales prices each calendar quarter for covered drugs and biologicals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) revise the practice expense relative value units for drug administration services (including chemotherapy administration services) in accordance with this Act to determine the units to be used in determining the fee schedule amounts paid for drug administration services under the Medicare program; (2) recognize and make payments under Medicare for chemotherapy support services furnished incident to physicians' services; (3) recognize and establish a payment amount for the service of cancer therapy management to account for the greater pre-service and post-service work associated with visits and consultations conducted by physicians treating cancer patients compared to typical visits and consultations; and (4) develop a revised methodology for determining the payment amounts for services that are paid under the Medicare fee schedule and that do not have physician work relative value units, including radiation oncology services. Amends SSA title XVIII to provide that if the Secretary requires direct supervision of a service by a physician, that supervision requirement may be fulfilled by one or more physicians other than the physician who ordered the service.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Water Quality Financing Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make grants to nonprofit organizations to provide technical and information assistance for rural and small treatment works. Requires establishment of procedures for the competitive award of grants. Extends funding for State- and interstate-managed pollution control programs. Revises eligibility requirements for grants for sewage collection systems to include projects which replace or involve the major rehabilitation of an existing collection system or involve new collection systems. Extends the pilot program for alternative water source projects. Shifts the allocation of sewer overflow control grants to States rather than municipalities and States. Revises State water pollution control revolving fund provisions concerning: (1) agreements for treatment works capitalization grants; (2) project eligibility; (3) loan payments, subsidization , and administrative expenses; (4) technical and planning assistance for small treatment works; (5) funding allotments; (6) priorities and intended use plans; and (7) Federal oversight review procedures. Increases the limit on amounts authorized for grants for development of management plans and construction of publicly owned treatment works to serve Indians.
United States · United States Congress · 2 April 2003
Citizenship Reform Act of 2003 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to limit automatic citizenship at birth to a child born in the United States who: (1) was born in wedlock to a parent either of whom is a U.S. citizen or national, or is an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence who maintains such residence; or (2) was born out of wedlock to a mother who is a U.S. citizen or national, or is an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence who maintains such residence.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2003
Civil Rights and Employee Investigation Clarification Act - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to exclude from its disclosure requirements certain communications: (1) made in connection with an employer's investigation of employee workplace misconduct, or of compliance with Federal, State, or local laws and regulations, the rules of a self-regulatory organization, or any pre-existing written policies of the employer; (2) not made for the purpose of investigating a consumer's credit worthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity; and (3) not provided to any person except the employer (or employer's agent), any Federal, State, or local officer, agency, or department, any self-regulatory organization with regulatory authority over the employer's or employee's activities, or as otherwise required by law.
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.
United States · United States Congress · 27 March 2003
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act - Provides that, for purposes of the Federal Communications Commission's regulation relating to station antenna structures in the amateur radio services, any private land use rules applicable to such structures shall be treated as a State or local regulation and subject to the same requirements and limitations of such a regulation.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2003
Student Athlete Protection Act - Amends the Federal judicial code to include as unlawful sports gambling a lottery, sweepstakes, or other betting, gambling, or wagering scheme based, directly or indirectly, on one or more: (1) competitive games in which high school or college athletes participate; (2) performances of high school or college athletes in competitive games; or (3) competitive games at the Summer or Winter Olympics.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2003
Colon Cancer Screen for Life Act of 2003 - Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the use of and reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening tests covered under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (SSA). Amends SSA title XVIII to: (1) increase reimbursement for colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic tests; (2) cover an outpatient office visit or consultation for the purpose of beneficiary education before a colorectal cancer screening test consisting of a screening colonoscopy or in conjunction with the beneficiary's decision to obtain such a screening, regardless of whether such screening is medically indicated with respect to the beneficiary; and (3) waive the deductible for colorectal cancer screening tests.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2003
Constitutional Amendment - States that a person born to a mother and father, neither of whom is a citizen of the United States nor a person who owes permanent allegiance to the United States, shall not be a citizen of the United States or of any State solely by reason of U.S. birth.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2003
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) revise the basis for calculating the projected lost earnings of a person who sustained a vaccine-related injury; (2) increase the award for a vaccine-related death; (3) allow compensation for expenses for family counseling and establishing guardianship; (4) allow payment of interim attorneys' fees and costs; (5) establish a procedure for paying attorneys' fees; (6) extend from two to six years the statute of limitations for injuries or death from a vaccine set forth in the Vaccine Injury Table; (7) revise the membership and meeting schedule of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines; and (8) direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a public service announcement campaign about the availability of the Program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the limit on Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund administrative expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2003
Recreational Marine Employment Act of 2003 - Amends the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act with respect to employer liability for death and disability compensation payable to longshore, harbor workers, and other specified marine employees not otherwise covered by State workers compensation laws. Excludes from the definition of employee any individuals employed by or at, or engaged in the construction or maintenance of, a recreational marine facility or structure. Expands the range of individuals whose work is concerned with recreational vessels who do not qualify as employees, including people who principally buy and sell, or test, such vessels. Makes such exclusions contingent on the employer's being in compliance with a State workers' compensation law. (Currently they are contingent on workers' being covered under such a law). Modifies requirements for third part actions against vessels for negligence to apply them only to injuries to maritime workers who do not qualify as seamen under specified Federal law. (Currently they apply to injuries to all persons covered under the Act).
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2003
Reforestation Tax Act of 2003 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction to a taxpayer who has a qualified timber gain in an amount equal to the qualified percentage of such gain. Allows a deduction, for qualified timber property, for reforestation expenditures and terminates current provisions allowing for the amortization of such expenditures.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2003
Community Streetcar Development and Revitalization Act - Establishes a five-year pilot grant program to provide Federal assistance to States and local governmental authorities for the capital and startup costs of development and expansion of streetcar transportation, including: (1) streetscaping; (2) signalization modifications, and other modifications to the road system or other public rights-of-way on which the project is to be carried out; and (3) acquisition of streetcars and project construction, design, and engineering. Sets forth program requirements, including a maximum Federal funding limit for any project for each fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the deduction of premiums for mortgage insurance. Provides for the phaseout of such deduction based on income.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2003
Medicare Ambulance Payment Reform Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to payment for ambulance services to revise requirements for the establishment of a fee schedule. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a system for the coding of claims for ambulance services, including a code set specifying the medical condition of the individual transported by an ambulance and the appropriate level of transportation service.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Access to Cancer Therapies Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to extend Medicare coverage to all oral drugs prescribed for use as an anticancer agent for a medically accepted indication.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Code Adam Act - Requires each Federal building that is open to the public to have in place procedures for locating a child who is missing in that building. Requires the head of each executive agency, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the House Office Building Commission, and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate to direct employees to assist any parent, guardian, or teacher whose child is missing in a Federal building by instituting and enforcing procedures that include: (1) obtaining a detailed description of the child and activating a "Code Adam" alert; (2) escorting the parent, teacher, or guardian to the door to help identify the child; (3) monitoring building exits; (4) requiring all persons with children to exit through a designated entrance; (5) searching the building and contacting local law enforcement if the child isn't found; (6) calling 911 and notifying the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and (7) preparing a report of the incident.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
American Dream Downpayment Act - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to participating jurisdictions for downpayment assistance to low-income, first-time home buyers; and (2) make the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 inapplicable to such assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 13 March 2003
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should renegotiate the Extradition Treaty between the United States of America and the United Mexican States (signed in Mexico City on May 4, 1978 (31UST5059)), so that the possibility of capital punishment or life imprisonment will not interfere with the timely extradition of criminal suspects from Mexico to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a special amortization tax deduction for up to $5 million of the intangible property acquired from an eligible small business (i.e., a business with gross receipts not exceeding $5 million for the three preceding taxable years) after December 31, 2002.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2003
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Amendment Act of 2003 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with cardiovascular diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Amends Federal defense contract law and the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to prohibit a contractor from being awarded a defense or Federal contract unless the Federal contracting officer determines that such contractor has a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics, including compliance with all applicable laws. Outlines information to be considered by a contracting officer in making such determination, with an emphasis on any violations that have been adjudicated during the prior three-year period, as well as certain convictions of and civil judgments rendered against such contractor.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Provides for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a congressional gold medal to Arnold Palmer in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2003
Consumer Assurance of Radiologic Excellence Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit certain payments to States for expenditures for medical imaging procedures or radiation therapy procedures, unless the State meets specified requirements for State medical radiation licenses, including minimum licensing standards the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
American Servicemember and Citizen Protection Act of 2003 - Prohibits the use of appropriated funds for the establishment or operation of the International Criminal Court. Declares that any action taken by or on behalf of the Court: (1) against any member of the U.S. armed forces shall be considered an act of aggression against the United States; or (2) against any U.S. citizen or national shall be considered an offense against the law of nations. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties against any person who knowingly violates the requirements of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Freedom to Read Protection Act of 2003 - Amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (the Act) to provide that no application by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a U.S. court for an order requiring the production of tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information from a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism may be made for the sole purpose of searching for, or seizing from, a bookseller or library documentary materials that contain personally identifiable information concerning a patron. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude a physical search for documentary materials (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) under other provisions of law. Revises congressional reporting requirements under the Act to require the Attorney General, in informing Congress with respect to applications for orders approving requests for the production of tangible things, to: (1) describe the specific purpose of each order application; (2) analyze the effectiveness of each application that was granted or modified in protecting U.S. citizens against terrorism; and (3) make public such information provided in a manner consistent with the national security of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Milk Import Tariff Equity Act - Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to impose tariff-rate quotas (quantitative import limits) and provide various duty rates on certain casein, caseinates, milk protein concentrate, and other casein derivatives and glues imported into the United States (except imports from Mexico). Authorizes the President to: (1) enter into a trade agreement with a foreign country to grant new concessions as compensation in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions; and (2) proclaim any necessary modification or continuance of any existing duty, or continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or any quantitative limitation. Sets forth certain limits on the reduction of duties on such products.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 - Repeals the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 and other specified related laws. Directs the President to terminate U.S. participation in the United Nations (UN), including any organ, specialized agency, commission, or other affiliated body. Requires closure of the U.S. Mission to the UN. Prohibits: (1) the authorization of funds for the U.S. assessed or voluntary contribution to the UN; (2) the authorization of funds for any U.S. contribution to any UN military operation; and (3) the expenditure of funds to support the participation of U.S. armed forces as part of any UN military or peacekeeping operation. Bars U.S. armed forces from serving under UN command.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2003
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) the phrase "one Nation, under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag reflects that religious faith was central to the Founding Fathers and to the founding of the Nation; (2) reciting the Pledge, including that phrase, is a patriotic act, not an act or statement of religious faith or belief; (3) that phrase should remain in the Pledge and the practice of voluntarily reciting the pledge in public school classrooms should be encouraged by the policies of Congress, the various States, municipalities, and public school officials; and (4) the Elk Grove Unified School District in Elk Grove, California, should be commended for its continued support of the Pledge. Declares that: (1) the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Newdow v. United States Congress (which held that the inclusion of that phrase in the Pledge unconstitutionally endorses religion) is inconsistent with the Supreme Court's interpretation of the First Amendment; (2) the Attorney General should appeal, and the Supreme Court should review, that ruling; and (3) the President should nominate, and the Senate should confirm, Federal circuit court judges who interpret the Constitution consistent with the Constitution's text.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act - Amends the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 to make the sunset provisions inapplicable to provisions that expanded and increased the adoption credit and adoption assistance programs under the Internal Revenue Code.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to convey specified Federal land in Utah to the owners of specified land in Colorado if the owners of the Colorado land convey their land to the United States. Directs that if the values of the lands to be exchanged are not equal, they shall be equalized either through a payment of money or, upon agreement, by a decrease in the amount of land conveyed. Prescribes that the values of the lands being exchanged shall be determined by a mutually agreed upon appraiser or appraisers following standards set forth in Federal appraisal standards publications, with the cost of such appraisals to be equally shared between the parties. Requires that as a condition of the conveyance, the recipients of the Utah land must obtain a conservation easement to protect the land's cultural and natural resources.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
American History and Civics Education Act of 2003 - Directs the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to award competitive grants to nonprofit educational institutions to establish: (1) Presidential Academies for Teaching of American History and Civics to offer workshops for teachers of American history and civics; and (2) Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics to offer workshops for outstanding students of American history and civics. Directs the NEA Chairperson to award a grant to an organization for the creation of a national alliance of elementary school and secondary school teachers of American history and civics.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Wildfire Response Enhancement Act - Authorizes the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to place an order with any Federal agency for goods or services directly related to fighting wildfires if the goods or services are necessary to properly respond to a wildfire without regard to a provision requiring a prior determination that the goods or services cannot be provided by contract as conveniently or cheaply by a commercial enterprise.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2003
Commends and expresses the gratitude of the Nation to: (1) all members of the U.S. Armed Forces (whether on active duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves) who are fighting the Global War on Terrorism; (2) the employers who in the spirit of patriotism maintain the job security of their mobilized National Guard and Reserve employees; and (3) the families of those service members who have borne the burden of separation from their loved ones and who have staunchly supported them during the conduct of the Global War on Terrorism. Expresses the condolences of Congress to the families of the brave American service members who have lost their lives defending the Nation in the Global War on Terrorism. Reaffirms that the Congress stands united with the President in the ongoing effort to defeat global terrorism.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Training and Research in Urology Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a Division Director for Urologic Diseases in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (the Institute). Requires the Director of the Institute (the Director) to give particular attention to supporting research and training programs geared to the needs of urology residents and fellows. Directs the Director to submit to Congress a national urologic research plan, and to review such plan every three years. Requires the Director to establish a National Urologic Diseases Data System for collecting and disseminating data from patients with urologic diseases, and a National Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse to facilitate and enhance knowledge and understanding of urologic diseases. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to form a Urologic Diseases Interagency Coordinating Committee to further urology research, and a National Urologic Diseases Advisory Board. Directs that of the centers developed for research in kidney and urologic diseases under the Act, at least 15 shall focus exclusively on urologic diseases. Establishes within the advisory council for the Institute a subcommittee on urologic diseases. Directs the Secretary to establish a loan repayment program for urology research, with certain provisions of the Act to apply to the new program as such provisions apply to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
English Language Unity Act of 2003 - Amends specified Federal law to declare English to be the official language of the United States. Gives representatives of the Federal Government an affirmative obligation to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the Federal Government, including encouraging greater opportunities for individuals to learn the English language. Requires the official functions of the United States (meaning, in this case, the States and the District of Columbia) to be conducted in English. Sets forth exceptions to and rules of construction for such requirements. Requires a uniform English language rule for U.S. naturalization, and all naturalization ceremonies to be conducted in English. Amends specified Federal law to declare, as a general rule of construction, that English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with the Laws of the United States. Requires the Department of Justice to issue for public notice and comment a proposed rule for uniform testing of English language ability of candidates for naturalization, based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, with respect to the maximum hours of service for operators of ground water well drilling rigs, to declare that, except as provided in specified Federal regulations, no additional off duty time shall be required in order to operate such a rig.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - Prohibits any qualified civil liability action from being brought in any State or Federal court and requires pending actions to be dismissed. Defines such an action to: (1) include an action brought against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm; and (2) exclude an action brought against persons who transfer a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or a drug trafficking crime; an action brought against a seller for negligent entrustment or negligence per se; an action in which a manufacturer or seller of a firearm willfully violated a State or Federal statute applicable to the sale or marketing of the firearm and the violation was a proximate cause of the harm for which relief is sought; an action for breach of contract or warranty in connection with the purchase of the firearm; or an action for physical injuries or property damage resulting directly from a defect in design or manufacture of the firearm when used as intended.
United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2003
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Establishes civil and criminal liability for violations of this Act. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission and to State attorneys general.
![Official portrait of Rep. Duncan, John J., Jr. [R-TN-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/d000533_200.jpg)