United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2004
American Bald Eagle Recovery and National Emblem Commemorative Coin Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in celebration of the recovery of the bald eagle, in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the placement of the bald eagle on the endangered species list under such Act, to mint and issue not more than: (1) 100,000 $5 gold coins; (2) 500,000 $1 silver coins; and (3) 750,000 half dollar coins. Directs that the design of the coins be emblematic of the bald eagle and its history, natural biology, and national symbolism. Requires that sales of the coins include a surcharge of $35 per coin for the $5 coin, $10 for the $1 coin, and $3 for the half dollar coin, which shall be promptly paid by the Secretary to the American Eagle Foundation of Tennessee to: (1) establish an interest-bearing endowment called the American Eagle Fund as a permanent source of support for the care, monitoring, maintenance, and recovery of the bald eagle and its habitat in the United States; (2) make annual grants to Federal, State, and private eagle restoration, protection, and enhancement projects; (3) administer the Fund in an annual amount not to exceed the lesser of ten percent of the annual income of the Fund or $250,000; and (4) provide financial support for capital projects and for continuation and expansion of the Foundation's efforts to educate the American people about the bald eagle.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2004
Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to replace the program of assistance to disadvantaged children in Asia with a program of assistance for orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries. Authorizes the President to provide assistance (grants, international organization contributions, or governmental assistance) for orphans and other vulnerable children in developing countries for: (1) basic care; (2) HIV/AIDS treatment, including mental health services; (3) school food programs; (4) education and employment training assistance; and (5) protection of inheritance rights. Establishes within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) an Office for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children. Provides assistance priority for countries with specified HIV levels among women and high-risk groups.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2004
Federal Contractor Security Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to require the following Federal service contractors to participate in a pilot program for employment eligibility confirmation: (1) those contractors required to pay at least minimum wage; and (2) those contractors exempted from the requirements of the Service Contract Act of 1965.
United States · United States Congress · 25 March 2004
Urges the President to provide encouragement and support for the ratification, establishment, and financing of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea for the prosecution of surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2004
Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) initiate, and instruct the U.S. delegation to implement, a plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual World Health Assembly summit in May 2004, in Geneva, Switzerland; (2) introduce a resolution in support of observer status for Taiwan at such summit; and (3) report annually on U.S. efforts to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly held yearly by the World Health Organization (WHO).
United States · United States Congress · 23 March 2004
North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the human rights of North Koreans should remain a key concern in future negotiations between the United States, North Korea, and other parties in Northeast Asia; (2) the United States should increase its support for radio broadcasting to North Korea; (3) the United Nations has a significant role to play in promoting and improving human rights in North Korea; (4) the United States should pursue an international agreement to adopt a `first asylum' policy, modeled on the first asylum policy for Vietnamese refugees, that guarantees safe haven to North Korean refugees; (5) the Government of China has obligated itself to provide the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with unimpeded access to North Koreans inside its borders to enable UNHCR to determine whether they are refugees and whether they require assistance; and (6) the United States should promote measures similar to humanitarian parole or temporary protected status granted in countries that neighbor North Korea. Authorizes the President to: (1) provide grants to private, nonprofit organizations to promote human rights, democracy, rule of law, and the development of a market economy in North Korea; (2) increase the availability of information inside North Korea by increasing the availability of information sources not controlled by the Government of North Korea; (3) provide assistance to the World Food Program and to U.S. nongovernmental organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans inside North Korea; and (4) provide assistance to organizations or persons that provide humanitarian assistance or legal assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea without the permission of the Government of North Korea. Prohibits U.S. agency humanitarian or nonhumanitarian assistance to the Government of North Korea without certification that North Korea has taken steps to ensure the humanitarian, nonpolitical use of such assistance. States that for refugee or asylum status under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a national of the Democratic Republic of Korea shall not be considered a national of the Republic of Korea. Directs the Secretary of State to designate natives or citizens of North Korea who were subjected to disproportionately harsh or discriminatory treatment for their political or religious beliefs as a priority refugee group. Provides, with respect to qualifying citizens and nationals of North Korea, for: (1) parole entry; (2) status adjustment to permanent resident; and (3) temporary protected status.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2004
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit up to $500 of unused health benefits to be carried forward to the next year of a health or retirement plan or arrangement, or to be contributed to a health savings account or a qualified retirement plan, without affecting the status of such plan or arrangement as a tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plan. Sets forth rules for the tax treatment of contributions to such plans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2004
Amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to jointly publish every five years a statement regarding the environmental impacts of immigration, for use in determining environmentally sustainable levels for legal immigration and measures needed to prevent illegal immigration.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2004
Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations Reform Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to revise requirements authorizing the Secretary to designate an organization as a foreign terrorist organization. Makes designations effective until revoked or set aside (currently effective for two years, subject to revocation). Sets forth procedures requiring the Secretary to review the designation of a foreign terrorist organization upon the organization's filing a petition for revocation within two years after such designation. Requires the Secretary to review a designation if no review has taken place within a four-year period. Authorizes the Secretary to amend a designation. Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 to require the inclusion in the State Department's Country Reports on Terrorism of: (1) information concerning specified terrorist groups that are known to have obtained or developed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or that are designated as foreign terrorist organizations under the INA; and (2) to the extent feasible, information concerning countries that have assisted terrorists in obtaining or developing WMDs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2004
Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2004 - Directs the President to establish a Green Chemistry Research and Development Program to promote and coordinate Federal research, development, demonstration, education, and technology transfer activities related to green chemistry and chemical engineering to design chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. Requires the President to establish an Interagency Working Group to oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the Program.
United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2004
ROTC and Military Recruiter Equal Access to Campus Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to prohibit funds made available for the Department of Homeland Security from being provided by contract or grant to an institution of higher education determined by the Secretary of Defense to be ineligible due to a policy or practice of prohibiting or limiting its access to students for purposes of recruitment for the Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. Amends Federal armed forces provisions to direct the Secretary to annually request, from each institution of higher education that has students participating at that institution in a Senior ROTC program during that academic year, a certification that the institution will, during the next academic year: (1) permit the Secretary of each military department to maintain a unit of the Senior ROTC at that institution, should the department Secretary elect to maintain such a unit; and (2) if the department Secretary elects not to maintain such a unit, permit a student of that institution to enroll in a Senior ROTC unit at another institution. Denies the provision of funds made available for certain Federal departments and agencies to institutions of higher education unless military recruiters are provided access to campuses at such institutions that is at least equal in quality and scope to the access to campuses and students that is provided to any other employer. Adds the Department of Homeland Security, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Central Intelligence Agency to the list of Federal departments and agencies whose funds will be denied to post-secondary schools that prevent ROTC access or military recruiting. Codifies under Federal armed forces law a provision of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000 which excludes from such funding prohibition any amounts provided solely for student financial assistance, related administrative costs, or costs associated with attendance.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2004
Directs the Secretary of the Army to issue a combat artillery badge to each person who, while a member of the Army artillery branch, participated in combat after April 5, 1917. Requires the criteria used for the issuance of such badge to be similar to that used for the issuance of the combat infantry badge.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2004
States that Congress: (1) condemns the detention of Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and calls for his immediate and unconditional release; (2) condemns the violations of freedom of speech, religion, movement, association, and the lack of due process afforded to individuals in Vietnam; and (3) urges the Government of Vietnam to consider the implications of its actions for the broader relationship with the United States, including the United States-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should: (1) make the immediate release of Father Ly a top concern; (2) reiterate its deep concern regarding the violation of Father Ly's and other prisoners' human rights, and continue to urge the Government of Vietnam to comply with international standards for freedom and human rights; and (3) make it clear to the Government of Vietnam that the detention and human rights violations of Father Ly and other persons create obstacles to improved bilateral relations with the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2004
Directs each Federal agency that provides grants, loans, or loan guarantees to businesses to require, as a condition of such assistance, that the business provide annually information on: (1) the number of employees employed in the United States and its territories and the number employed outside the United States, as well as wage information on U.S. employees; and (2) the percentage of the workforce that has been laid off or forced to resign during the preceding year. Prohibits, until the situation is corrected, subsequent assistance to a business that lays off a greater percentage of workers in the United States or its territories than in other countries.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2004
Transfers the functions of the United States Trade Representatives to the Secretary of Commerce with respect to: (1) identification of countries that deny adequate protection, or market access, for intellectual property rights; (2) enforcement of U.S. rights under trade agreements and response to certain foreign trade practices; and (3) the Uruguay Round Agreement Act regarding dispute settlement panels and procedures, related matters in the annual report to Congress on the World Trade Organization (WTO), access to the WTO dispute settlement process, specified actions for enforcement of U.S. rights under the Subsidies Agreement, and specified administrative actions following WTO panel reports.
United States · United States Congress · 26 February 2004
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) a specific statement should be included in the Iraqi Transitional Administrative Law guaranteeing `the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion' as affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and specified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iraq is a party; (2) a statement should be included in the Transitional Administrative Law identifying the principles of democracy, pluralism, rule of law, and Iraq's international obligations as fundamental sources for legislation, in addition to the mention of Islam that is alone currently cited in publicly available drafts of the Transitional Administrative Law; and (3) an explicit commitment should be made in the Transitional Administrative Law that Iraq will respect and ensure such rights.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal existing microenterprise development grant authority and reestablish and revise it as a separate title, title VI - Microenterprise Development Assistance, which shall be administered by an Office of Microenterprise Development (established by this Act) within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2004
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United State should continue to insist that the People's Republic of China adhere to fundamental human rights principles and allow its citizens full enjoyment of those rights. Declares that Congress urges the People's Republic of China to: (1) stop the persecution of all religious practitioners and safeguard fundamental human rights; (2) stop the forced return of North Korean refugees; (3) end its one-child per family policy and ensure that no government officials subject women to forced abortions or sterilizations; (4) hold an open investigation into the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, release all prisoners held in connection with that event, and pay compensation to the families who lost their loved ones; (5) release from detention all prisoners of conscience, persons held because of their religious activities, and persons of humanitarian concern, including named individuals; (6) release the 11th Panchen Lama; (7) adhere to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the 1951 Convention Relating to Refugees and its 1967 Protocol; and (8) allow visits to China by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Religious Intolerance and Torture, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Family Budget Protection Act of 2004 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to eliminate the May 15 deadline for consideration of annual appropriations measures. Requires annual joint (currently, concurrent) budget resolutions signed by the President. Provides for an amendment to change the statutory limit on the public debt. Requires consideration of budget-related legislation before the budget resolution becomes law. Sets forth provisions regarding the establishment of a reserve fund for emergencies. Requires: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial Government strategic and performance plans. Provides spending caps on the growth of entitlements and mandatory budget outlays. Excludes benefits payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act (SSA), Tier 1 railroad retirement benefits, and benefits payable under part A of title XVIII (relating to part A Medicare hospital insurance benefits) of SSA and part C of such title (relating to the Medicare Advantage program) from required reductions under the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, along with specified Government accounts and activities. Provides other exceptions, limitations, and special rules with respect to sequestration exemptions. Directs the Chairman to maintain the Family Budget Protection Mandatory Account and the Family Budget Protection Discretionary Account. Freezes at current levels spending authority for each unearned entitlement, high-cost discretionary spending program, and authorized and unauthorized discretionary spending programs. Establishes the Commission to Eliminate Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Provides for accrual funding of the: (1) Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund; (2) Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System; and (3) Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System. Establishes in the Treasury: (1) the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Retirement Fund; (2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Retirement System; and (3) the Coast Guard Military Retirement Fund. Changes the name of the Department of Defense Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund to Uniformed Services Health Care Fund (thus, providing health care programs for all uniformed service retirees, under certain conditions). (Currently, such programs are for Department of Defense Medicare-eligible beneficiaries.) Decreases the limit on the public debt from $6.4 trillion to $4.393 trillion. Prohibits consideration of extraneous appropriations in omnibus appropriations measures.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
George R. Brown Near-Earth Object Survey Act - Requires the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to plan, develop, and implement a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids and comets at least 100 meters in diameter in order to assess the threat of such near-Earth objects striking the Earth. Amends the National Aeronautics and Space Act to declare that the general welfare and security of the United States requires that the unique competence of NASA in science and engineering systems be directed to provide warning and mitigation of the potential hazard of near-Earth objects impacting the Earth.
United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2004
Calls upon the Government of France to respect the right of individuals to practice their religion freely and to display insignia of their faith. Joins the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in recommending that the U.S. Government urge the Government of France to reassess its initiative banning conspicuous religious articles and symbols in state schools.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2004
Authorizes the Secretary of State to: (1) initiate, and instruct the U.S. delegation to implement, a plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual World Health Assembly summit in May 2004, in Geneva, Switzerland; and (2) introduce a resolution in support of observer status for Taiwan at such summit.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2004
Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 - Amends Federal law concerning commercial space transportation to specify that regulatory authority for such transportation shall be with the Secretary of Transportation, through the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation. (Current law specifies the Secretary of Transportation.) Makes the provisions of such law applicable to space flight crews and space flight participants. Provides for the issuance of experimental permits (including permits for reusable suborbital rockets) allowing for an unlimited number of launches. Allows the holder of a license or a permit to launch and reenter crews and space flight participants, but only in accordance with regulations and applicable laws. Requires crew and space flight participants to execute reciprocal waivers of claims with licensees and permitees and the Federal government. Makes liability indemnification program requirements inapplicable to space flight participants. Extends, for three years, liability insurance and financial responsibility requirements. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to arrange for a study of how best to gradually eliminate the liability risk sharing regime for commercial space transportation. Requires the study to assess methods by which the liability risk sharing regime could be eliminated by 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter and the impact those methods would be likely to have on the commercial space transportation industry.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2004
Declares that the House of Representatives offers its gratitude to the seven Space Shuttle Columbia astronauts and its heartfelt sympathy to their families on the anniversary of their loss, with the reassurance that this sacrifice will not have been made in vain, but will strengthen this Nation's resolve to continue their journey of discovery.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2004
Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to pay a monthly benefit of $1,000 to certain honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946 (or to their survivors). Includes service in the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service. Exempts benefits paid under this Act from taxation.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2004
Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments of 2004 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to: (1) prohibit Federal reimbursement of hospital-provided emergency and certain transportation services to undocumented aliens unless the hospital provides the Secretary of Homeland Security with information regarding an alien's citizenship, immigration status, financial data, and employer; (2) make the employer of certain undocumented aliens responsible for such costs; and (3) direct the Secretary to initiate removal procedures against an alien determined to be removable under Federal immigration law. Directs the Secretary of State to analyze the feasibility of effecting treaties for international medical evacuations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
District of Columbia Voting Rights Restoration Act of 2004 - Restores the right of District of Columbia residents to participate as Maryland residents in congressional elections and presidential elections. Repeals provisions of the: (1) District of Columbia Delegate Act that establishes the office of District of Columbia Delegate to the House of Representatives; and (2) District of Columbia Statehood Constitution Convention Initiative of 1979 that provides for electing a Senator and Representative for the District.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
Medicare's Equitable Drugs for Seniors Act of 2004 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, to repeal provisions prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from: (1) interfering with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and prescription drug plan sponsors; and (2) requiring a particular formulary to institute a price structure for the reimbursement of covered Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) drugs. Grants the Secretary instead, in order to ensure that beneficiaries enrolled under prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans pay the lowest possible price, authority similar to that of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other Federal agencies and departments that purchase prescription drugs in bulk to negotiate contracts with manufacturers of covered Medicare part D drugs, consistent with the requirements and in furtherance of the goals of providing quality care and containing costs under such part.
United States · United States Congress · 20 January 2004
Commends the engineers, scientists, and technicians of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cornell University for their years of effort leading up to the successful entry, descent, landing, and operation of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the Martian surface on January 3, 2004. Recognizes the importance of the exploration of space. Honors the achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Cornell University in expanding our comprehension of the universe and fulfilling the human need to explore and understand.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Ronald Reagan Dime Act - Amends Federal law governing coins and currency to require dime coins issued after a certain date to bear the likeness of President Ronald Reagan.
United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2003
Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to (FCUA) to authorize real estate lease extensions at minimal charge to credit unions that finance the construction of credit union facilities on Federal land. Permits a credit union to make investments in securities for its own account. Increases the maturity date on credit union loans from 12 years to 15 years, or longer as the National Credit Union Administration Board may allow. Increases from up to one percent to up to three percent of the total paid in and unimpaired capital and surplus the limit on an individual credit union's aggregate investment in credit union service organizations. Exempts loans to nonprofit religious organizations from restrictions placed upon member business loans relating to credit union net worth or capitalization standards. Permits a credit union to offer money transfer instruments, including electronic fund transfers, to persons in the field of membership as well as to actual members. Exempts multiple common-bond credit union mergers and conversions from certain numerical limitations on field of membership. Requires the Board to prescribe criteria for the voluntary conversion of a common-bond credit union into a community credit union. Authorizes the board of directors of a Federal credit union to expel a member for just cause, including disruption of credit union operations. States that reimbursement for lost wages owing to voluntary service on a credit union board of directors shall not be treated as prohibited compensation. Revises the criteria for increasing the interest rate ceiling on the unpaid loan balance. Authorizes a credit union to lease specified office space in buildings in underserved areas to any business enterprise if the space is separate and clearly distinct from any office or operation of the credit union. Amends credit union conversion voting requirements. Amends the Clayton Act to exempt from its premerger notification and waiting period requirements mergers among certain insured credit unions. Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to treat credit unions as depository institutions for certain purposes. Revises the credit union net worth limitations placed upon member business loans to twenty percent of credit union total assets. Repeals the requirement that an undercapitalized insured credit union become adequately capitalized before it may increase the total amount of member business loans outstanding at any one time. Allows an undercapitalized insured credit union to increase the total amount of such outstanding loans if the Board approves. Redefines: (1) credit union "net worth ratio"; and (2) "critically undercapitalized" credit union. Repeals the mandate that regulations for complex credit unions include a risk-based net worth requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 6 November 2003
Establishes the Federal Interagency Task Force to Promote the Benefits, Safety, and Potential Uses of Agricultural Biotechnology to improve interagency cooperation and to develop and disseminate accurate written scientific information on the benefits, safety, and potential uses of agricultural biotechnology. Terminates the Task Force ten years after enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2003
School Nutrition Enhancement Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to phase out reduced price lunches and breakfasts by phasing in increases in income eligibility for free lunches and breakfasts by specified increments from 130 percent of the Office of Management and Budget nonfarm income poverty guidelines for July 1, 2003, to 185 percent of such guidelines for July 1, 2008, and every subsequent school year.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Congratulates the new leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Urges the Government of Vietnam to: (1) respect the right of all independent religious organizations to freely practice their faith; and (2) release all Vietnamese citizens imprisoned for doing so, especially the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang and the Very Venerable Thich Quang Do. Urges the passage of the Vietnam Human Rights Act and implementation of the recommendations of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Urges the United States Embassy in Vietnam to closely monitor cases of abuse of religious belief and practice and report to the Congress on specific measures taken to protect and promote religious freedom in Vietnam.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2003
Commends the firefighters and public servants who participated in responding to the October 2003 wildfires in southern California for their dedicated service to the people of California.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2003
Recognizes the fifth anniversary of the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Urges a renewed commitment to eliminating violations of the internationally recognized right to freedom of religion and to protecting fundamental human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Repudiates the anti-Semitic rhetoric of the outgoing prime minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Calls upon other governments and international bodies, notably the European Union, to condemn these remarks as dangerous incitement. Deplores the tacit acquiescence of those in attendance at the October 2003 Organization of the Islamic Conference.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2003
Congratulates John Wooden for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom and for the naming of the Pauley Pavilion basketball floor in his honor. Commends his unparalleled achievements and contributions in sports and education.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Urges the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Association of South East Asian Nations to work for: (1) unrestricted access to Laos by international election monitors and international human rights organizations; (2) the rights of opposition political parties and their candidates to run for public office and for all adult citizens of Laos to vote; (3) the right of the citizens to assemble, protest, and to organize; (4) the cessation of all acts of violence against the Hmong population; and (5) the release of those jailed in connection with the 1999 pro-democracy demonstrations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2003
Calls for the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to: (1) stop interfering in the exercise of religious and political freedoms within the United States, such as the right to practice Falun Gong; (2) cease using diplomatic missions in the United States to spread falsehoods about Falun Gong; (3) release prisoners of conscience; (4) end the harassment, detention, physical abuse, and imprisonment of individuals who are exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of religion, of expression, and of association as stated in the PRC Constitution; and (5) demonstrate its willingness to abide by international standards of such freedoms by ceasing to restrict them. Calls on the President to take such actions as: (1) issuing a formal protest about repeated Chinese Government human rights violations to the Chinese Foreign Ministry; and (2) working more closely with Chinese human rights activists to identify Chinese authorities who have been personally responsible for acts of violence and persecution in China. Urges the Attorney General to investigate reports that Chinese consular officials in the United States have committed illegal acts while attempting to intimidate or inappropriately influence Falun Gong practitioners or local elected officials, and determine an appropriate legal response. Calls on local government officials in the United States to recognize and support organizations and individuals that share the goals of the local community, including Falun Gong practitioners, and report to Congress, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State any incidents of pressure or harassment by Chinese agents.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2003
Offers the warmest welcome of Congress to President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan upon his visit to the United States on October 31, 2003, and recognizes the broadening and deepening friendship and cooperation between the United States and Taiwan and their respective peoples. Congratulates President Chen Shui-bian on his receiving the Human Rights Award from the International League for Human Rights. Thanks the President, government, and people of Taiwan for their humanitarian and medical assistance in Afghanistan and post-war Iraq.
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 · 7 October 2003
Directs the Secretary of Defense to award the Office of the Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award to journalists who accompanied units of the U.S. armed forces or of a coalition partner into Iraq to report on Operation Iraqi Freedom.
United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2003
Commercial Space Act of 2003 - Amends the Commercial Space Launch Act (CSLA) to prohibit CSLA license holders from launching or reentering a spaceflight participant unless: (1) the participant has received training and met medical or other standards specified in the license; (2) the participant is informed of the safety record of the launch or reentry vehicle type; and (3) the launch or reentry vehicle is marked to distinguish it from an aircraft in a manner specified by the Secretary of Transportation. Requires the Secretary to create, and report to Congress on progress in implementing, a streamlined, cost-effective, and enabling regulatory framework for the U.S. commercial human spaceflight industry. Extends current indemnification provisions for commercial space transportation through calendar 2007. Requires the Secretary to arrange with the National Academy of Public Administration to study and report to Congress on the liability risk-sharing regime for U.S. commercial space transportation. Redesignates the Department of Commerce's Office of Space Commercialization as the Office of Space Commerce (OSC). Requires the Secretary of Commerce to delegate to the Director of OSC the Secretary's licensing authority for private remote sensing space systems (satellite photo systems). Amends the Technology Administration Act of 1998 to reflect this delegation of authority and to give the Director of OSC responsibility for serving as Executive Secretary for the Interagency Global Positioning System Executive Board.
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.
![Official portrait of Rep. Rohrabacher, Dana [R-CA-48]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/r000409_200.jpg)