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Bill· SS. 862 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Small Business Enhancement Act of 1995 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make grants to eligible institutions to design and implement programs to assist businesses, especially those in lower income urban communities, to become more productive and able to compete in the global marketplace. Directs the SBA Administrator to establish a peer review panel to review grant applications and make recommendations to the Administrator concerning the selection of grant recipients. Limits to $400,000 the assistance provided to any single recipient during any one-year period. Requires the SBA Administrator to achieve equitable geographic distribution in the awarding of such grants. Defines an eligible institution as a nonprofit institution of higher education that is located in an urban area, has an accredited school of business, draws a substantial amount of its enrollment from urban areas, and carries out programs to make postsecondary educational opportunities more accessible to residents of such urban or contiguous areas. Authorizes appropriations for the grant program for FY 1996 through 2000.
Bill· HRH.R. 1732 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Patent Reexamination Reform Act of 1995 - Amends Federal patent law to expand reexamination request authority to authorize the filing of such requests by any person on the basis of patent specification requirements except for the best mode requirement. (Current law permits reexamination requests only on the basis of prior art.) Establishes procedures for reexamination proceedings based upon third-party (persons who are not the patent owner) requests. Requires documents filed in such proceedings, other than the request, to be served on all parties. Authorizes third-party requesters to file written comments not less than one month from the date of service of the patent owner's response to any Patent and Trademark Office action on the merits of reexamination. Grants third-party requesters the right to appeal final reexamination decisions on the same basis such right is available to patent owners. Estops a third-party requester who files a notice of appeal or who participates as a party to an appeal from later asserting the invalidity of any claim determined to be patentable on appeal on any ground which was or could have been raised during reexamination. Bars patent owners and third-party requesters, once an order for reexamination has been issued, from filing a subsequent reexamination request until a reexamination certificate is published. Prohibits a party, once a final decision has been entered in a civil action that the party has not sustained the burden of proving the invalidity of a patent claim, from requesting reexamination on issues that were or could have been raised in the civil action. Requires the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences to review adverse decisions of examiners in reexamination proceedings and authorizes appeals to the Board by patent owners and third-party requesters with respect to reexamination decisions. Permits appeals of Board decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Bill· SS. 303 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Biomaterials Access Assurance Act of 1995 - Provides that, in any civil action, a biomaterials supplier (one who supplies components or raw materials used to manufacture implants) may raise any defense provided under this Act. Exempts a biomaterials supplier (supplier) from liability for harm to a claimant caused by an implant, with exceptions in the case of a supplier who: (1) is a registered manufacturer of the implant; (2) is a seller of the implant and who held title to the implant at the time of sale; or (3) furnishes raw materials or components that fail to meet applicable contractual requirements or specifications. Provides grounds for liability with respect to each exception. Outlines procedural guidelines for the dismissal of civil actions against suppliers, including the submission of appropriate affidavits in support of, or in defense to, a claim. States that a supplier may be considered a manufacturer of an implant, for purposes of such civil actions, only if the supplier has registered with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and included the implant on a list of devices filed pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Requires claimant payment of attorney's fees if the court finds the claim to be without merit and frivolous.
Bill· HRH.R. 3685 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Communications Privacy and Consumer Empowerment Act - Directs the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to take action through proceedings to ensure that consumer privacy rights are protected in new telecommunications services and systems.
Bill· HRH.R. 935 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Right to View Professional Sports Act of 1995 - Exempts from copyright infringement public performance by means of the display of video programming at a place of public accommodation of any game between professional sports teams, if a reasonable fee is paid to the copyright owners for such performance. Requires the copyright arbitration royalty panels to determine, adjust, and publish such reasonable fees taking into account the average fair market price for comparable programming provided by cable systems and satellite carriers to other places of public accommodation in the same local geographic area. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make provisions relating to prohibition of specified practices of unauthorized publication or use of communications inapplicable to the interception, receipt, and display of video programming at a place of public accommodation of any game between professional sports teams if the copyright owners for public performance of such game receive a reasonable fee from the owner or operator of the place of public accommodation.
Bill· HRH.R. 2533 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: United States Intellectual Property Organization Subtitle A: Establishment; Powers and Duties; Organization and Management Subtitle B: Trademark Trial and Appeal Board; Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences; Suits By and Against the Organization Subtitle C: Fees; Organization Moneys; Borrowing; Audits Subtitle D: Transfers; Use of Organization Name; Transition Provisions; Technical and Conforming Amendments Subtitle E: Separability; Effective Date; Report to the Secretary Title II: Under Secretary for Intellectual Property United States Intellectual Property Organization Act of 1995 - Title I: United States Intellectual Property Organization - Subtitle A: Establishment; Powers and Duties; Organization and Management - Establishes within the Department of Commerce (Department) the United States Intellectual Property Organization (USIPO) to: (1) perform all current duties of the Department's Patent and Trademark Office with respect to the examination and granting of patent and trademark applications; and (2) carry on studies, programs, and other activities relating to domestic and international patent and trademark laws and issues. Outlines USIPO administrative powers and authority. Vests USIPO management in a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with specified duties and responsibilities. Provides for USIPO officers and employees. Requires USIPO to make specified funding payments in order to provide appropriate Federal employee compensation and benefits for its staff. Provides that USIPO shall: (1) establish a joint labor-management committee; and (2) not be subject to any Federal full-time equivalent employee restrictions. Subtitle B: Trademark Trial and Appeal Board; Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences; Suits By and Against the Organization - Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 (the Act) to direct the CEO, in every action concerning a trademark (interference, opposition to registration, concurrent use, or application to cancel registration), to: (1) give notice to all parties; and (2) direct a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to determine and decide such actions. (Sec. 106) Establishes in the USIPO a Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences to review adverse decisions of examiners with respect to patent applications and to determine priority and patentability of invention in interferences declared under the Act. (Sec. 107) Provides administrative provisions regarding suits brought by and against USIPO. (Sec. 108) Requires the CEO to report annually to the President and the Congress on USIPO moneys received and expended, work statistics, and management. Subtitle C: Fees; Organization Moneys; Borrowing; Audits - Directs USIPO to: (1) recommend to the Secretary of Commerce a schedule of fees to be levied for USIPO services rendered and products provided; and (2) be guided by specified principles in developing such schedule. Exempts the United States Intellectual Property Fund from any sequestration orders under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Provides for the appropriate payment of international fees and handling fees under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and authorizes the charging of additional fees. (Sec. 110) Establishes in the Treasury the Patent and Trademark Organization Fund for the deposit of all moneys paid to USIPO. Provides authority to invest and issue obligations with respect to the Fund. (Sec. 111) Directs USIPO to reimburse the Department's Inspector General for the cost of any audits conducted for USIPO benefit. Subtitle D: Transfers; Use of Organization Name; Transition Provisions; Technical and Conforming Amendments - Transfers to USIPO all functions, powers and duties, assets and liabilities, and invested capital of the Patent and Trademark Office (Office). Prohibits the use of the USIPO name by any other entity. Provides transition provisions with respect to the continuation of current Office contracts, employees, and labor agreements. Subtitle E: Separability; Effective Date; Report to the Secretary - Provides for the separability of provisions of this Act. Makes this Act effective six months after its enactment. (Sec. 118) Directs the Secretary to report to the President and the Congress on the operation and effectiveness of provisions of this Act, as well as associated costs. Title II: Under Secretary for Intellectual Property - Establishes within the Department an Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property who shall grant patents and register trademarks, advise the Secretary on all aspects of intellectual property policy, legislation, and issues, and conduct related activities. Directs the Under Secretary to be assisted in such duties by two Deputy Under Secretaries of Commerce for Intellectual Property. Provides funding for the offices of the Under Secretary through reimbursement from USIPO.
Bill· HRH.R. 120 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Baseball Fans and Communities Protection Act of 1995 - Provides that if unilateral terms and conditions of employment in restraint of trade or commerce are imposed by any party that has been subject to an agreement between two or more major league baseball clubs and the labor organization representing the players of major league baseball, such unilateral imposition shall be subject to the antitrust laws. Makes such provision inapplicable to a term or condition imposed solely with respect to a professional baseball player who is a party to a uniform player contract that is assigned, at the time such imposition occurs, to a baseball club that is not a major league professional baseball club.
Bill· HRH.R. 4159 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Boat Protection Act of 1996 - Sets forth copyright provisions regarding the protection of vessel hull designs. Defines: (1) "plug" as a device or model used to make a mold for the purpose of exact duplication, regardless of whether the device or model has an intrinsic utilitarian function that is not only to portray the appearance of the product or to convey information; (2) "mold" as a matrix or form in which a substance for material is used, regardless of whether the matrix or form has an intrinsic utilitarian function that is not only to portray the appearance of the product or to convey information; and (3) "commercially exploit" for purposes of this Act as the sale or offer for sale of a plug or mold after it is fixed in a vessel hull or otherwise distributed to the public for profit vessel hulls. Extends protection to an original plug or mold fixed in a vessel hull, if: (1) the owner of the plug or mold is a national or domiciliary of the United States or of a foreign nation which is party to a protection treaty to which the United States is also a party on the date on which the plug or mold is first commercially exploited; (2) the plug or mold is first commercially exploited in the United States; or (3) the plug or mold comes within the scope of a presidential proclamation extending reciprocal protection to the works of foreign nationals, domiciliaries, or sovereign authorities. Vests exclusive rights in such plugs or molds in the owner who may transfer (in whole or in part) or bequeath such interest. Recognizes the first registered transfer in case of a conflict. Sets the protection term for plugs or molds at ten years from the date of first commercial exploitation. Grants the owner of a plug or mold the exclusive rights to: (1) reproduce the plug or mold; (2) import or distribute a vessel hull in which it is embodied; and (3) cause another to perform such acts. Provides that it is not an infringement of the owner's exclusive rights: (1) to reproduce a plug or mold for purposes of teaching, analyzing, or evaluating concepts, techniques, design, or organization of components in it; or (2) to sell or otherwise dispose of a vessel hull lawfully made under this Act (without the authority of the owner of the plug or mold). Limits the liability of an innocent purchaser of an infringing vessel hull. Permits the owner of a plug or mold to place on it a specified notice of protection, which is not a condition of protection but shall constitute prima facie evidence of notice of protection. Entitles the owner of a plug or mold whose protection has been infringed to institute a civil action. Authorizes the award of attorney's fees to a prevailing party. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Postal Service to issue regulations for the enforcement of the right to import a vessel hull in which the plug or mold is embodied. Permits the impoundment and seizure of vessel hulls imported in violation of the owner's exclusive rights. Sets forth remedies for infringement, including temporary and permanent injunctive relief, actual damages, the award of an infringer's profits to the owner, impoundment orders, and the award of statutory damages instead of actual damages or profits in an amount not to exceed $250,000, under specified conditions. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 1733 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Patent Application Publication Act of 1995 - Requires each patent application, except applications for design patents and provisional applications, to be published as soon as possible after 18 months from the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought, except for an application that is no longer pending or one subject to a secrecy order. Permits earlier publication at the applicant's request. Prohibits disclosure of information concerning published applications except as determined by the Commissioner of Patents. Prohibits, upon request by certain independent inventors, the publication of rejected applications, with specified exceptions, until three months after the Commissioner notifies the applicant. Requires the applicant to certify that no application was or will be filed for the invention in a foreign country. Entitles a patent application to claim the benefit of an earlier filing date in a foreign country if a claim therefor and a certified copy of the original foreign application, specification, and drawings upon which it is based are filed in the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) at any such time during the pendency of the application as is required by the Commissioner. Allows the Commissioner to consider the failure of the applicant to file a timely claim for priority as a waiver of any such claim. Authorizes the Commissioner to determine the time period within which an amendment containing the specific reference to an earlier filed application shall be submitted. Specifies that a patent shall include the right to obtain a reasonable royalty from any person who, during the period from publication of the application until issue of the patent: (1) makes, uses, or sells in the United States the invention as claimed in the published application or imports such an invention into the United States, or if the invention as claimed in the published application is a process, uses or sells in or imports into the United States products made by that process as claimed in such application; and (2) had actual notice or knowledge of the published patent application. Makes the right to obtain a reasonable royalty unavailable unless the invention claimed in the patent is identical to that claimed in the published application. Specifies the commencement date of the period for obtaining a royalty based upon the international publication of an international application designating the United States. Revises Federal patent law to provide that a person shall not be entitled to a patent if the invention was described in a published patent application by another filed in the United States, or in a published international application, before the invention thereof by the applicant. Directs the Commissioner to recover the cost of early publication by adjusting the filing, issue, and maintenance fees by charging a separate publication fee, or by any combination of such fees. Provides for the extension of the term of a patent the issue which is delayed due to an unusual administrative delay by the PTO. Limits the total duration of all extensions to ten years. Reduces the extension period equal to the time during the processing or examination of the application leading to the patent in which the applicant failed to engage in reasonable efforts (current law provides a reduction for lack of due diligence) to conclude processing or examination of the application. Prohibits the extension of a patent the term of which has been disclaimed beyond the expiration date of the disclaimer.
Bill· HRH.R. 3531 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Database Investment and Intellectual Property Antipiracy Act of 1996 - Specifies that a database is subject to this Act if it is the result of a substantial investment of human, technical, financial, or other resources in the collection, assembly, verification, organization, or presentation of the database contents and the database is used or reused in commerce. (Sec. 4) Prohibits, without the owner's authorization: (1) extracting, using, or reusing all or a substantial part of the contents of a database in a manner that conflicts with the owner's normal exploitation of, or that adversely affects the actual or potential market for, the database (normal exploitation); (2) engaging in the repeated or systematic extraction, use, or reuse of insubstantial parts of the contents in a manner that cumulatively conflicts with the owner's normal exploitation; or (3) procuring, directing, or committing any such prohibited act. (Sec. 5) Allows a lawful user of a database made available to the public or placed in commercial use to extract, use, or reuse insubstantial parts of its contents, subject to specified limitations. (Sec. 6) Specifies that: (1) a database becomes subject to this Act when the necessary investment has been made to qualify its maker as such, and shall remain subject to this Act for a 25-year period; and (2) any change of commercial significance to a database shall make the resulting database subject to this Act for the applicable term. (Sec. 7) Provides civil remedies for violation of section 4. (Sec. 8) Sets penalties for willfully violating section 4 for direct or indirect commercial advantage or financial gain, or thereby causing loss or damage to an owner aggregating $10,000 or more in any one-year calendar period. (Sec. 10) Prohibits circumventing, without the authority of the owner or the law, database protection systems. (Sec. 11) Prohibits knowingly: (1) providing, or publicly distributing or importing for public distribution, false database management information; and (2) removing or altering database management information without authority of the owner or the law. (Sec. 12) Authorizes civil actions by persons injured by violations of section 10 or 11. (Sec. 13) Sets penalties for violations of section 11 with intent to defraud. (Sec. 14) Bars any action under this Act unless commenced within three years after the owner knew or should have known of the claim.
Bill· HRH.R. 3048 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Regulatory Flexibility Amendments Act of 1996 - Permits an affected small business, within one year after the effective date of a final rule, to petition for judicial review of an agency's: (1) certification that such rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses; or (2) final regulatory flexibility analysis for such rule. Authorizes the court to: (1) order an agency to prepare a final regulatory analysis for a rule for which such a certification was arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion; (2) order an agency to take appropriate corrective action for a final regulatory flexibility analysis that was prepared without observance of the proper procedure; and (3) stay the rule or grant other appropriate relief if the agency fails to take such action within 90 days. Requires an agency, on or before the 30th day preceding the date of publication of a general notice of proposed rulemaking, to transmit to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration: (1) a copy of the proposed rule; and (2) a copy of the initial regulatory flexibility analysis for the rule or a determination that such an analysis is not required. Directs the Chief Counsel, within 15 days thereafter, to transmit to such agency a written statement of the effect of the proposed rule on small entities. Requires publication of such response in the Federal Register. Provides a special rule with respect to proposed rules of certain Federal banking agencies. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Chief Counsel should be permitted to appear as amicus curiae in any action brought for the purpose of reviewing a rule.
Bill· HRH.R. 3702 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Equal Surety Bond Opportunity Act - Prohibits any surety from discriminating against any applicant based upon specified factors. Establishes: (1) civil liability for violation of this Act; and (2) administrative enforcement procedures.
Bill· HRH.R. 2235 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Prior Domestic Commercial Use Act of 1995 - Amends the Federal judicial code to create a defense to patent infringement with respect to any subject matter the manufacture, use, sale, offer for sale, or importation of which in the United States would otherwise infringe one or more claims in the patent being asserted, if a person had, acting in good faith, commercially used the subject matter before the effective filing date of such patent. Specifies that the sale or other disposition of the subject matter of a patent by a person entitled to assert the defense shall exhaust the patent owner's rights to the extent they would have been exhausted had such disposition been made by the patent owner. Subjects the defense to specified limitations and qualifications regarding: (1) the scope of the defense (the defense is not a general license under all claims of the patent at issue but extends only to the subject matter claimed in the patent that the person asserting the defense had commercially used before the effective filing date of the patent, with exceptions); (2) effective and serious preparation; (3) burden of proof (on the person asserting the defense); (4) abandonment of use; (5) who may assert the defense (it is a personal defense); (6) a one-year limitation (the subject matter on which the defense is based must have been commercially used or reduced to practice more than one year prior to the effective filing date of the patent); (7) unsuccessful assertion of the defense (directs the court to find the case exceptional for purposes of awarding attorney's fees); and (8) invalidity of a patent (a patent shall not be deemed invalid solely because a defense is raised or established under this Act).
Bill· HRH.R. 1105 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Credit and Charge Card Disclosure and Interest Rate Amendments Act of 1995 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act of 1989 to expand the disclosure requirements for credit card accounts including: (1) the total amounts paid; (2) the total finance charges paid; and (3) the date by which the debtor will complete paying the current outstanding balance. Requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to establish and publicize a toll-free telephone line for consumers to call for free information on low-rate credit cards. Requires due notice to the cardholder before any increase in the annual percentage rate or any change in credit card terms may take effect. Permits the cardholder to subsequently: (1) rescind the use of the account upon receipt of such notice; and (2) repay the outstanding balance pursuant to the rate and terms in effect on the date that the cardholder received notification of the change in terms. Prohibits: (1) the imposition of finance charges upon certain credit card accounts before the date that the extension of credit is posted to that account; and (2) the disclosure of certain cardholder information for direct marketing purposes unless the issuer has notified the cardholder. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to the Congress on the degree of competition in the credit card market. Mandates an annual statement to the cardholder disclosing the total amount of fees and finance charges paid in the preceding year. Requires a card issuer to provide, upon request, a copy of the agreement establishing the terms of the credit card account.
Bill· HRH.R. 1075 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Product Liability Reform Title II: Punitive Damages Reform Title III: Biomaterials Suppliers Title IV: Effect on Other Law; Effective Date Common Sense Product Liability and Legal Reform Act of 1995 - Title I: Product Liability Reform - Declares that this title governs any State or Federal product liability action except actions for commercial loss. Supersedes State law only as State law applies to an issue covered by this title. (Sec. 103) Makes a seller liable if the seller failed to exercise reasonable care, made an express warranty, or engaged in intentional wrongdoing. Declares that a failure to inspect is not a failure of reasonable care if there was no reasonable opportunity to inspect in a way that would have revealed the harmful aspect. Makes the seller liable as if the seller were the manufacturer if the manufacturer is not subject to service of process in any State in which the action might have been brought or the claimant would be unable to enforce a judgment against the manufacturer. (Sec. 104) Makes it a complete defense if the claimant was under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance and was more than 50 percent responsible for the event that resulted in the harm. (Sec. 105) Reduces damages by the percentage of harm attributable to misuse or alteration, except for misuse or alteration by the employer or any co-employee who is immune from suit by the claimant under the State law on workplace injuries. (Sec. 106) Imposes sanctions for frivolous pleadings. (Sec. 107) Declares that product liability for noneconomic loss shall be several only and not joint, with each defendant liable only for the noneconomic loss attributable to that defendant's share of fault. (Sec. 108) Bars product liability actions after 15 years after the delivery of the product to its first purchaser or lessee, subject to exceptions. Applies this bar only if the claimant has received or would be eligible to receive from any source full medical expense compensation. (Sec. 109) Declares that this title does not apply to a product liability action unless the manufacturer has appointed an agent in the United States for service of process from anywhere in the United States. Title II: Punitive Damages Reform - Allows punitive damages if the harm was a result of conduct intended to cause harm or conduct manifesting a conscious, flagrant indifference to the safety of others. Limits amounts. Requires the trier of fact, on request of any party, to consider punitive damages in a separate proceeding. Title III: Biomaterials Suppliers - Allows liability for biomaterials suppliers for harm caused by medical devices only i: (1) the raw materials or component parts delivered by the supplier did not constitute the product described in the contract between the supplier and the person contracting for delivery or failed to meet certain types of specifications; (2) the supplier intentionally and wrongfully withheld or misrepresented information material and relevant to the harm; or (3) the supplier had actual knowledge of prospective fraudulent or malicious activities, relevant to the harm, in the use of its supplies. (Sec. 302) Allows a supplier who is a defendant in a medical device product liability action, subject to exceptions and if the supplier did not take part in the design, manufacture, or sale of the device, to move to dismiss an action on the grounds that the claimant has failed to: (1) establish that the supplier furnished materials or parts in violation of the contractual requirements or specifications; or (2) comply with requirements to name the manufacturer of the device as a party. Requires the claimant to pay the supplier's attorney's fees and costs if the claimant named or joined the supplier and the claim against the supplier is held to be without merit and frivolous. Title IV: Effect on Other Law; Effective Date - Specifies ways in which this Act shall not be construed. Declares that U.S. district courts shall not have jurisdiction under this Act based on provisions of the U.S. Code relating to Federal questions, commerce and antitrust, and amounts in controversy. Sets forth the effective date of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 1258 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Small Business Capital Access Act of 1995 - Amends the Small Business Act to increase the fee charged by the Small Business Administration for guaranteeing general business loans made to small businesses under such Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 1244 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Theatrical Motion Picture Authorship Act of 1995 - Declares that the principal director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of a theatrical motion picture have the noneconomic interests in such picture. Describes such interests as the right of the director, screenwriter, or cinematographer to: (1) claim that he or she was the director, screenwriter, or cinematographer of the picture; (2) prevent the use of his or her name as the director, screenwriter, or cinematographer of pictures of which he or she was not the director, screenwriter, or cinematographer; and (3) prevent any intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification of the picture which would be prejudicial to his or her honor or reputation. Permits the exercise of such rights whether or not the person is the copyright owner. Requires the duration of such interests to be coextensive with (and expire at the same time as) exclusive copyright rights in the picture. Prohibits the transfer of such interests, but authorizes the exercise of such interests by heirs. Authorizes the waiver of such rights, but prohibits: (1) the execution of the written instrument containing the waiver before the first public performance of the motion picture; and (2) consideration exceeding one dollar to be given for the grant of the waiver. Revises copyright ownership provisions to provide that the principal director, screenwriter, and cinematographer shall be considered authors with respect to ownership of noneconomic interests in theatrical motion pictures. Considers violations of rights granted by this Act to be infringements.
Bill· HRH.R. 2419 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Inventor Protection Act of 1995 - Requires that every contract for invention development services be in writing and that a copy of the signed written contract be given to the customer at the time the customer enters into the contract. Directs the invention developer to: (1) state in the contract whether the usual business practice is either to seek more than one contract in connection with an invention or to seek to perform services in one or more phases; and (2) supply to the customer a copy of the written document including the usual business terms of contracts and the approximate amount of the usual fees for services provided. Prohibits a developer from requiring or accepting payment for services for five business days after the customer receives a copy of the contract. Calls for the invention developer or a third party representing the invention developer to deem delivery of a promissory note, check, bill of exchange, or negotiable instrument of any kind as payment on the date received. Gives the parties the option to refuse to enter into the contract until five business days after the payment is made. Prescribes language and information that must be included in a cover notice on every such contract. Requires the developer to deliver at quarterly intervals a written report for every contract which shall include: (1) a description of the services performed and those yet to be performed; and (2) the name and address of each person, firm, or corporation to whom the subject matter has been disclosed. Mandates that each contract include: (1) the terms and conditions of payment and contract termination rights; (2) a statement that the customer may avoid entering into the contract by not making a payment to the developer; (3) a concise description of the specific acts or services the developer undertakes; (4) a statement as to whether the developer undertakes to construct, sell, or distribute one or more prototypes, models, or devices embodying the invention; (5) the name and place of business of the developer and any entity that may perform any of the services; (6) a statement of the developer's representation of estimated or projected customer earnings and the data upon which such representation is based; (7) the name and address of the custodian of all records and correspondence relating to the contract; and (8) a statement setting forth a schedule for performance of services. Renders any such contract voidable if it: (1) does not comply with applicable provisions; (2) is entered into in reliance upon any false, fraudulent, or misleading information, representation, notice, or advertisement; or (3) is made by an unenrolled invention developer. Deems any waiver by the customer of any provision of this chapter contrary to public policy void, and unenforceable. Permits any customer who is injured by a developer's violation of this chapter or by any false or fraudulent statement, representation, or omission of material fact by a developer to recover in a civil action against the developer, in addition to reasonable costs and attorney's fees, the greater of $5,000 or the amount of actual damages sustained to the customer. Requires the developers that offer to perform or perform for the customer any act involved in filing for and obtaining utility, design, or plant patent or trademark protection to enroll annually with the Patent and Trademark Office. Authorizes the Commissioner of the Patent and Trademark Office, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to suspend or exclude from enrollment as a developer any person, firm, partnership, or corporation demonstrated to be incompetent, disreputable, liable for gross misconduct, or not in compliance with the regulations. Makes an act by an unenrolled developer of representing himself as enrolled or permitting himself to be held out as enrolled as a misdemeanor subject to a $10,000 fine for each offense.
Bill· HRH.R. 857 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Ticket Fee Disclosure Act of 1995 - Prohibits any seller or reseller (including any ticket broker) of entertainment or sporting event tickets from failing to: (1) disclose to a purchaser of such a ticket, prior to purchase, any fee, charge, or assessment (other than a tax or other levy imposed pursuant to Federal, State, or local law) to be imposed in excess of the face amount of the ticket; and (2) have the amount of any such cost imprinted on the ticket or on a receipt evidencing any such ticket sale. Directs that such provision be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA). Treats any violation of such provision as a violation of a rule under the FTCA regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Authorizes State attorneys general to bring civil actions on behalf of their residents whenever they believe that the interests of such residents have been or are being threatened or adversely affected because of an act or practice in violation of such provision. Requires the FTC to study, and report to specified congressional committees on, the practices of persons involved in the sale and resale of entertainment and sporting event tickets.
Bill· SS. 1840 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Federal Trade Commission Reauthorization Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1997 and 1998 for the Federal Trade Commission.
Bill· HRH.R. 1248 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Film Disclosure Act of 1995 - Amends the Lanham Act to require that any distributor or network that proposes to exploit a materially altered motion picture include in or affix to all copies of the motion picture a label which conspicuously discloses the fact of: (1) the film's material alteration from the form in which it was first released to the public; (2) the nature of such alteration; and (3) any objections raised by the artistic authors with reference to such alteration. Delineates the compliance procedure for distributors or networks that propose to exploit a materially altered film. Grants an artistic author the right to seek injunctive relief in U.S. district courts to prevent violation of his or her rights under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 1570 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Small Business Loan Amendments Act of 1995 - Amends the Small Business Act (Act) to reduce the level of participation by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in loans guaranteed under the Act on a deferred basis to: (1) 70 percent of the balance of the financing outstanding, with respect to loans made under the Preferred Lenders Program; and (2) 75 percent of such balance, with respect to all other loans. Allows such percentages to be reduced upon request of the participating lender. Prohibits the SBA from using the percentage requested as a criterion for establishing priorities in approving guarantee requests. Limits the maximum interest rate under the Preferred Lenders Program to that charged to other loan guarantees under the Act. Increases the loan guarantee fee authorized to be charged by the SBA. Repeals provisions allowing participating lenders providing loans of less than $75,000 to retain a portion of the loan guarantee fee charged by the SBA.
Bill· HRH.R. 3930 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Insurance Claims Privacy Protection Act - Specifies the circumstances in which disclosure of insurance claims information is allowed to law enforcement agencies by insurers and by nongovernmental crime bureaus (CBs) and insurance data support organizations (IDSOs). Regulates the activities in which CBs and IDSOs may engage. Provides for enforcement.
Bill· HRH.R. 3192 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Satellite Home Viewer Protection Act of 1996 - Amends Federal copyright law to require a satellite carrier that makes secondary transmissions of a primary transmission by a network station, prior to providing broadcasting signals to a subscriber, to provide such subscriber with a written statement describing and quoting the network territorial restrictions related to such retransmission. Requires a satellite carrier, within 30 days of receipt of a challenge by a network station as to whether a subscriber is an unserved household within the predicted Grade B contour of such station, to: (1) inform the subscriber of the challenge; and (2) offer such subscriber the option of the satellite carrier conducting a measurement of the signal intensity of the subscriber's household to determine whether such household is an unserved household. Requires the satellite carrier to: (1) terminate service to such a household if its subscriber does not request a signal intensity measurement within 30 days of notification of the challenge from the satellite carrier; and (2) notify the network station that such service has been terminated. Outlines procedures to be taken after a signal measurement has been taken. Repeals a provision allowing a network station to challenge a subscriber outside the predicted Grade B contour of the network station. Authorizes satellite carriers and network broadcasters to negotiate the terms and conditions of the signal intensity measurement described under this Act. Requires a complete description of such agreement to be filed with the Register of Copyrights within 30 days after its execution. Provides for arbitration of such an agreement if the parties cannot agree to terms and conditions within 30 days after the enactment of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 955 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Common Sense Product Liability Reform Act of 1995 - Declares that this Act: (1) does not provide U.S. district courts with jurisdiction over product liability actions based on specified provisions of the Federal judicial code; (2) governs any product liability action brought in any State or Federal court against a manufacturer or product seller, on any theory for harm caused by a product, except product liability actions brought against a manufacturer or product seller for commercial losses which shall be governed only by applicable commercial or contract law; and (3) supersedes State law only to the extent that such law applies to an issue covered by this Act. (Sec. 4) Makes a product seller other than a manufacturer liable to a claimant in a product liability action only if the claimant establishes that: (1) the seller sold the product which allegedly caused the harm, the seller failed to exercise reasonable care with respect to the product, and such failure was a proximate cause of the claimant's harm; (2) the seller made an express warranty applicable to the product independent of any express warranty made by a manufacturer, the product failed to conform to the warranty, and such failure caused the claimant's harm; or (3) the seller engaged in intentional wrongdoing as determined under applicable State law and such intentional wrongdoing was a proximate cause of the harm complained of by the claimant. Specifies that a product seller shall: (1) not be considered to have failed to exercise reasonable care based upon an alleged failure to inspect a product where there was no reasonable opportunity to inspect the product in a manner which would have revealed the aspect of the product which allegedly caused the claimant's harm; and (2) be liable, in a product liability action, for harm to the claimant caused by such product as if the seller were the manufacturer of such product if the manufacturer is not subject to service of process under the laws of any State in which the action might have been brought, or the court determines that the claimant would be unable to enforce a judgement against the manufacturer. (Sec. 5) Makes it a complete defense to a product liability action that the claimant: (1) was intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating alcohol or any drug; and (2) as a result of such influence, was more than 50 percent responsible for the accident or event which resulted in such claimant's harm. (Sec. 6) Specifies that in a product liability action the liability of each defendant for noneconomic loss shall be several only and not joint, and that each defendant shall be liable only for the amount of noneconomic loss attributable to such defendant's proportionate share of fault or responsibility for the claimant's harm, as determined by the trier of fact. (Sec. 7) Bars a product liability action unless the complaint is served and filed within 15 years after the time of delivery of the product, with exceptions. (Sec. 8) Authorizes punitive damages, to the extent permitted by applicable State law, in any product liability action in Federal or State court against a defendant if the claimant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that the harm suffered was the result of conduct specifically intended to cause harm or conduct manifesting a conscious, flagrant indifference to the safety of those persons who might be harmed by the product for which the action was brought. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) proportional awards; (2) applicability and preemption; and (3) bifurcation of proceedings at either party's request.
Bill· HRH.R. 561 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to Fair Credit Reporting Act Title II: Credit Repair Organizations Title III: Truth in Lending Act Title I: Amendments to Fair Credit Reporting Act - Consumer Reporting Reform Act of 1995 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act (the Act) to: (1) define the terms "adverse action" and "firm offer of credit"; and (2) specify that the term "credit transaction which is not initiated by the consumer" does not include use of a consumer report (CR) by a person with which the consumer has an account for purposes of reviewing or collecting the account. (Sec. 102) Excludes certain communications by employment agencies from the definition of "consumer report." (Sec. 103) Allows the furnishing of a CR for: (1) a legitimate business need in connection with a business transaction that is initiated by the consumer; and (2) employment purposes only if certain disclosures are made, the consumer consents, and the information will not be used in violation of any Federal or State equal employment opportunity law or regulation. Permits the furnishing or use of a CR for employment purposes only if the employment is expected to require: (1) a Federal security clearance; (2) an employee to be covered by a fidelity bond; or (3) an employee to have access to substantial amounts of cash or other things of value or to engage in any activity with respect to which the employee has a fiduciary duty. (Sec. 104) Prohibits: (1) using or obtaining information from a CR unless it is obtained for an authorized purpose and the purpose is certified under certain provisions of the Act; (2) the furnishing of a CR for use in credit transactions not initiated by the consumer; and (3) a credit reporting agency (CRA), in connection with employment or credit transaction purposes, from furnishing, without the consumer's consent, a CR which contains medical information. Requires CRAs to maintain a notification system, including a toll-free telephone number, which permits any consumer to elect to be excluded from lists provided in connection with solicitations of credit not initiated by the consumer. Prohibits a CRA from furnishing a consumer report for use for a direct marketing transaction which is not initiated by the consumer. (Sec. 106) Removes exceptions to prohibitions on reporting obsolete information. (Current law prohibits reporting information which is over a specified number of years old, except for credit transactions, life insurance, or employment involving amounts over specified limits.) Regulates the beginning of the seven-year reporting period for certain types of information. Requires CRAs to include in CRs information that a consumer voluntarily closed an account and to indicate any information that is disputed by a consumer. Includes in CRs and CRA consumer files any information regarding failure of a consumer to make payment on an account that was due in a period during which such consumer was receiving disaster assistance or unemployment compensation if, the consumer requests the inclusion of such information and provides documentation regarding the receipt of such assistance or compensation. (Sec. 107) Prohibits a person who procures a CR from reselling the information unless the identity of the end user and the purpose is disclosed to the CRA. (Sec. 108) Requires a CRA to: (1) disclose to a consumer all information in the consumer's file, certain information about the recipients of a CR, the permissible purpose for which each recipient procured a CR, a record of inquiries in the last year that identified the consumer in connection with a credit transaction which was not initiated by the consumer, and, with any such disclosures, a summary of the consumer's rights under the Act; and (2) unless the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant, reinvestigate disputed information free of charge or delete the item from the file, notify the information furnisher, delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information, and notify the consumer of the results of the reinvestigation. (Sec. 109) Requires CRAs, upon request of a consumer, to provide at least one free CR to a consumer during the 12-month period after the consumer receives a notification of the deletion of inaccurate or unverifiable information. Requires certain CRAs to implement automated reinvestigation systems. (Sec. 110) Regulates charges by CRAs for certain disclosures. Provides for certain free disclosures to a consumer if the consumer certifies that he or she is unemployed or is a recipient of public welfare assistance or has reason to believe that the consumer file is inaccurate due to fraud. (Sec. 111) Requires any person who takes an adverse action with respect to a consumer in connection with a transaction initiated by the consumer or an employment determination to notify the consumer, disclose the identity of the CRA furnishing the report, and advise the consumer of certain rights. Provides for certain notifications and disclosures to consumers in cases where adverse actions are taken by affiliates of users of credit information. Specifies the duties of persons taking certain actions based on information provided by affiliates. (Sec. 112) Subjects any person (currently, any CRA or user of information) to civil liability for willful or negligent noncompliance with the Act. (Sec. 113) Sets forth: (1) duties of furnishers of information to CRAs, including a prohibition on furnishing information which the furnisher should have known is incomplete or inaccurate; and (2) provisions regarding investigative consumer reports. Increases criminal penalties for obtaining information under false pretenses. (Sec. 117) Authorizes State civil actions to enforce the Act, subject to a specified limitation. (Sec. 119) Preempts any State law relating to CR and CRA requirements imposed under this Act with specified exceptions. (Sec. 120) Allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to modify or make more stringent certain requirements if found necessary for the protection of consumers. (Sec. 121) Amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to provide exceptions to certain debt collection practices with respect to communications. (Sec. 122) Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize the furnishing of consumer reports to certain officials for purposes relating to child support. (Sec. 123) Requires a CRA to identify financial institutions at which a consumer maintains or has maintained an account for purposes of foreign counterintelligence investigations. Authorizes a court, if requested by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to issue an order directing a CRA to furnish a CR to the FBI upon a showing in camera that: (1) the CR is necessary for an authorized foreign counterintelligence investigation; and (2) there are facts giving reason to believe that the consumer whose CR is sought is a foreign agent and is engaging or has engaged in international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities that may involve a criminal violation. Limits the FBI's use of such CRs and sets forth prohibitions on disclosure. Permits disclosure to the consumer upon completion of the FBI investigation. Makes the FBI or the Department of Justice liable to the consumer for damages for disclosure violations. Terminates court order provisions of this section five years after this Act's enactment. Title II: Credit Repair Organizations - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to provide that specified provisions of that Act may be cited as the Credit Repair Organizations Act. (Sec. 201) Prohibits: (1) advising any consumer to make an untrue or misleading statement, or to alter the consumer's identification to prevent the display of the consumer's credit record; (2) other fraud or deception; and (3) a credit repair organization (CRO) from charging or receiving valuable consideration for any service before such service is fully performed. Specifies a statement which a CRO must provide to consumers before an agreement is executed regarding the consumer, the CRO, and related rights, powers, and obligations. Requires written, signed contracts covering specified matters in order for a CRO to provide services. Allows a consumer to cancel a contract with a CRO within three business days of making the contract. Declares void any consumer waiver of any protection under this title. Makes an attempt to obtain a waiver a violation of this title. Voids any contract not in compliance with this title. Provides for civil liability for failing to comply with this title, including allowing punitive damages and class actions. Requires enforcement of this title under the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) by the FTC. Makes: (1) a violation of this title an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of specified provisions of the FTCA; and (2) all functions and powers of the FTC available for enforcement of this title. Establishes a statute of limitations for actions to enforce liability under this title. Title III: Truth in Lending Act - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to include certain intangible taxes and delivery fees as finance charges for purposes of consumer credit cost disclosure. Declares that creditors have no civil or criminal liability, and that consumers have no extended rescission rights, due to a creditor's improper disclosure of such taxes and fees for transactions consummated prior to February 1, 1995.
Bill· SS. 585 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Small Business Regulatory Bill of Rights Act - Amends Federal civil service law to enumerate the rights of small entities before (including a voluntary no-fault compliance audit program and a compliance assistance program), during, and after an investigative or enforcement action, with certain exceptions and limitations.
Bill· HRH.R. 4071 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Women's Business Training Centers Act of 1996 - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to provide financial assistance to private organizations to conduct five-year (currently, three-year) demonstration projects to benefit small businesses owned and controlled by women; (2) adjust the level of cash contributions required from Federal and non-Federal sources for each of the five years of the projects; (3) require each assistance applicant to submit a five-year (currently, three year) plan on proposed fund raising and training activities under a project; (4) allow each recipient to receive such assistance for five years (in lieu of three); and (5) increase the annual authorization of appropriations for such projects.
Bill· HRH.R. 2022 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Professional Baseball Antitrust Reform Act of 1995 or the "Giles Act"- Amends the Clayton Act to apply the antitrust laws to any agreement or restraint imposed by professional baseball, major or minor league owners, or their agents or employees on the location of any minor league team or franchise.
Bill· HRH.R. 4299 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Social Security On-Line Privacy Protection Act of 1996 - Prohibits an interactive computer service providing computer access to multiple users via modem or other means of telecommunication to the Internet or any other on-line network from disclosing to a third party an individual's social security account number or related personally identifiable information without the individual's prior informed written consent. Requires such service to permit an individual to revoke any consent at any time, upon which revocation such service shall cease disclosing such number or information to a third party. Gives the Federal Trade Commission enforcement authority under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 114 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Market Development Title II: Capital Formation Title III: Management Educational Development Title IV: Research and Information Title V: Administrative and Other Powers of the Administration; Miscellaneous Provisions Minority Business Development Act of 1993 - Redesignates the Minority Business Development Agency in the Department of Commerce as the Minority Business Development Administration. Title I: Market Development - Empowers the Administration to: (1) assist disadvantaged businesses in penetrating domestic and foreign markets; and (2) encourage disadvantaged firms to establish joint ventures and projects to increase their share of the market. Exempts from the antitrust laws and the Federal Trade Commission Act any act within the scope of any approved joint program for market development. Authorizes the Administration to provide financial assistance to public and private entities to carry out this Act. Title II: Capital Formation - Authorizes the Administration to defray all or part of the costs of pilot projects conducted by public or private organizations and designed to assist disadvantaged businesses in obtaining equity capital. Directs the Administration to study and report to specified congressional committees on alternatives for providing capital formation assistance to qualified disadvantaged businesses. Title III: Management Educational Development - Requires the Administration to: (1) encourage universities, business leaders, and other entities to offer scholarships, sponsor seminars, and provide internships for the benefit of disadvantaged individuals; and (2) accelerate curriculum design in support of disadvantaged business development. Title IV: Research and Information - Authorizes the Administration to: (1) provide financial assistance to public and private organizations to assist the Administration in collecting data on the causes for success and failure of disadvantaged businesses and in conducting research on how economic conditions affect their development; (2) develop a data bank on disadvantaged businesses; and (3) establish an information clearinghouse for pertinent data. Title V: Administrative and Other Powers of the Administration; Miscellaneous Provisions - Sets forth the administrative powers of the Administration. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 3798 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
National Small Business Regulatory Relief Act of 1996 - Amends the Small Business Act to establish a Small Business Regulatory Relief Council. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (participating agencies) to submit to the Council a five-year plan for the establishment and maintenance of a partnership with small business development centers (SBDCs) for a system of voluntary regulatory compliance (compliance). Outlines plan contents and requires such participating agencies to ensure the nonduplication of efforts in such regard. Requires the Council: (1) within 30 days after a participating agency submits a plan, to approve or modify such plan; (2) to establish guidelines for the implementation of each plan; and (3) to report annually to the President and the congressional small business committees on the types of assistance provided by SBDCs to small businesses participating in the system of compliance, as well as outreach efforts to inform small businesses of such opportunity. Requires each SBDC to: (1) submit annually to the Council a work plan for SBDCs to carry out the system of compliance; (2) report semiannually to the Council on assistance provided to small businesses by SBDCs under this Act; and (3) report annually to the Council on recommendations for improving the regulation of small businesses. Directs the Council to: (1) evaluate annually the system of compliance; (2) determine whether SBDCs are performing in accordance with their compliance work plans; and (3) provide for an independent evaluation of such system after three years of operation. Requires the participating agencies to set aside specified percentages of their annual funding for FY 1997 through 2001 for compliance assistance under this Act. Provides for the deposit of such funds into the National Regulatory Relief Fund, and for appropriate Fund distributions.
Bill· HRH.R. 176 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Anti-Redlining in Insurance Disclosure Act - Requires certain insurers to maintain, submit to the Secretary of Commerce, and make available to the public specified information on their practices and activities with respect to property and casualty insurance sold in urban areas, such as the number of policies sold by metropolitan statistical area (MSA), itemized by demographic characteristics. Directs the Secretary to: (1) study and report to certain congressional committees on the availability of commercial insurance for small businesses; and (2) develop and submit to such committees a proposed data collection pilot project in certain MSAs to ascertain the need for additional data to evaluate the availability of insurance coverage for small businesses. Directs the Secretary to: (1) exempt insurers operating under State disclosure requirements or laws similar to those under this Act; and (2) implement a public information system arranging for a central depository in each designated MSA to disseminate the information required under this Act. Prescribes data collection parameters for designated MSAs, insurers, and lines of property and casualty insurance, including: (1) private passenger automobile insurance; (2) homeowners insurance; and (3) dwelling fire and allied lines of insurance. Requires the Secretary to establish a task force on insurance agency appointments to review and report to certain congressional committees on: (1) the status of insurance agency appointments for inner city and minority agents; (2) the practices of insurers in terminating agents; and (3) recommendations to improve the ability of inner city and minority agents to market property and casualty insurance. Permits the Secretary to use data collection contractors and statistical agents. Requires the Secretary to compile data annually for each MSA for all insurers either subject to or exempt from this Act. Provides civil penalties for violations of this Act. Directs the Secretary to study and report to certain congressional committees on: (1) the feasibility and utility of collecting information on specified characteristics of insurance applicants and the reasons for their rejection; and (2) actions by insurers to meet the property and casualty insurance needs of low- and moderate-income and minority neighborhoods, and the small businesses located in such neighborhoods.
Bill· SS. 2098 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Women's Business Training Centers Act of 1996 - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to provide financial assistance to private organizations to conduct five-year (currently, three-year) demonstration projects to benefit small businesses owned and controlled by women; (2) adjust the level of cash contributions required from Federal and non-Federal sources for each of the five years of the projects; (3) require each assistance applicant to submit a five-year (currently, three year) plan on proposed fund raising and training activities under a project; (4) allow each recipient to receive such assistance for five years (in lieu of three); and (5) increase the annual authorization of appropriations for such projects.
Bill· SS. 1623 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: National Tourism Board Title II: National Tourism Organization Travel and Tourism Partnership Act of 1996 - Title I: National Tourism Board - Establishes the National Tourism Board to develop a national travel and tourism strategy for increasing U.S. tourism. Title II: National Tourism Organization - Directs the President to provide for the establishment of the National Tourism Organization as a non-Federal nonprofit organization to implement the national travel and tourism strategy developed by the Board. Requires the head of a Federal agency, upon request, to provide technical assistance to the Organization to assist it in carrying out its purposes. Requires the head of each Federal agency maintaining offices in a foreign country to incorporate in their programs and activities some that implement the recommendations of the Organization and Board. Amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to require the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee's (TPCC) Federal trade promotion plan to reflect Board recommendations. Makes the President of the Organization a member of TPCC.
Bill· SS. 2045 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
National Small Business Regulatory Relief Act of 1996 - Amends the Small Business Act to establish a Small Business Regulatory Relief Council. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (participating agencies) to submit to the Council a five-year plan for the establishment and maintenance of a partnership with small business development centers (SBDCs) for a system of voluntary regulatory compliance (compliance). Outlines plan contents and requires such participating agencies to ensure the nonduplication of efforts. Requires the Council to: (1) within 30 days after a participating agency submits a plan, approve or modify such plan; (2) establish guidelines for the implementation of each plan; and (3) report annually to the President and the congressional small business committees on the types of assistance provided by SBDCs to small businesses participating in the system of compliance, as well as outreach efforts to inform small businesses of such opportunity. Requires each SBDC to: (1) submit annually to the Council a work plan for SBDCs to carry out the system of compliance; (2) report semiannually to the Council and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration on assistance provided to small businesses by SBDCs under this Act; and (3) report annually to the Council and the Administrator on recommendations for improving the regulation of small businesses. Directs the Council to: (1) evaluate annually the system of compliance; (2) determine whether SBDCs are performing in accordance with their compliance work plans; and (3) provide for an independent evaluation of such system after three years of operation. Requires the participating agencies to set aside specified percentages of their annual funding for FY 1997 through 2001 for compliance assistance under this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 3422 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Fairness and Voluntary Arbitration Act of 1996 - Requires each party to a sales and service contract that provides for the use of arbitration in resolving controversies to have the option to reject arbitration as the means of settling a controversy. Requires the arbitrator, whenever arbitration is elected to settle a dispute under such a contract, to provide the parties with a written explanation of the factual and legal basis for the award.
Bill· HRH.R. 3003 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Rent-To-Own Reform Act of 1996 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to designate a new title X as the Rent-To-Own Protection Act to prohibit a seller in a rent-to-own transaction from taking, receiving, or assessing any interest, finance charge, or other fee for the transaction in excess of that which may be charged under State law which establishes in connection with a credit or retail installment sale for the same or a similar item: (1) a maximum rate or amount of interest, finance charge, or time-price differential that may be charged; (2) the types and maximum amount of fees that a seller may charge; or (3) the types of credit insurance and the maximum amount of premiums that can be charged for credit insurance. Sets forth requirements regarding: (1) termination, recovery, and other fees; (2) the effect of termination; and (3) guarantees and warranties. Makes the following Federal laws applicable to rent-to-own transactions: (1) the Truth in Lending Act; (2) the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; (3) the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; and (4) the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Requires a seller to include the following information on each item in the seller's place of business that is available for purchase pursuant to a rent-to-own transaction: (1) the cash price; (2) an itemization of services offered and the price of each service; (3) the annual percentage rate; (4) any applicable periodic payment and the number of payments; (5) the total number of payments required to acquire ownership; and (6) whether the item is new or used. Requires a seller to provide such information to a consumer in writing at the time the parties enter into the contract. Prohibits a seller under a rent-to-own contract with a consumer from taking specified actions, such as using threats or coercion to collect amounts alleged due, or unreasonably disclosing information to third parties regarding amounts owed by the consumer. Makes compliance with the requirements of this Act enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission. Deems a violation of this Act to be an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Subjects sellers who violate the requirements of this Act to civil liability.
Bill· HRH.R. 1717 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Federal Fair Franchise Practices Act - Prohibits any person, partnership, or corporation, in connection with the advertising, offering, licensing, contracting, sale, or other promotion of any franchise, or any relationship which is represented to be a franchise, from: (1) employing a device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (2) engaging in an act, practice, course of business, or pattern of conduct which operates as a fraud or deceit upon any person; (3) obtaining money or property, or assisting others in so doing, by means of an untrue statement of a material fact or any omissions of a fact necessary to make a statement not misleading; (4) discriminating among prospective franchisees on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin; or (5) representing or implying that a franchise has been reviewed, endorsed, recommended, or approved by the United States or an officer or agency thereof. Prohibits any misrepresentations: (1) in required disclosures in connection with a franchise or its offering; and (2) of franchise earnings and failures (with the burden of proof on the franchisor). (Sec. 4) Prohibits any franchisor or subfranchisor, in connection with the operation of a franchise system or the performance, enforcement, renewal and termination of any franchise agreement, from: (1) engaging in an act, practice, course of business, or pattern of conduct which operates as a fraud or deceit upon any person; (2) employing unlawful or deceptive acts or practices in the operation of the franchisor's enterprise or method of business; or (3) discriminating among franchisees on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Prohibits such entities from: (1) terminating or cancelling a franchise prior to its expiration without good cause; (2) prohibiting a franchisee from obtaining equipment, fixtures, supplies, or services used in the business from sources of the franchisee's choosing, with exceptions; and (3) prohibiting a franchisee from engaging in any business at any location after the expiration (or termination for good cause) of a franchise. (Sec. 5) Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) minimum standards of conduct (good faith, due care, and limited fiduciary duty) for each party to a franchise agreement; (2) assumption of prior franchise obligations by the acquiring party; (3) a prohibition against a franchisor establishing the same or very similar franchise as that offered by a franchisee in unreasonable proximity to the franchisee's business (including liability for damages in such cases and exceptions to such liability); (4) a prohibition against requiring the inclusion of a franchise agreement term or condition which violates this Act or relieves a person from a duty or liability under this Act; (5) a prohibition against the waiver from compliance with this Act; (6) legal actions brought by persons injured or damaged by violations; (7) the right to arbitration or mediation in lieu of a legal action; (8) authorized legal actions by State attorneys general on behalf of State residents for alleged violations; and (9) the obligation to comply with all applicable State franchising laws to the extent not inconsistent with this Act. (Sec. 13) Directs the Bureau of Census of the Department of Commerce to include in its business census for 1997 and thereafter statistical information on the number, ownership, and operation of franchise businesses. Requires Bureau: (1) consultation with the Federal Trade Commission, the Congress, and other interested organizations; and (2) reporting to the Congress of the most effective and accurate means of gathering and presenting the required statistical information.
Bill· HRH.R. 111 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Amendments to Minority Small Business and Capital Ownership Development Program Title II: Amendments to Contracting Program Minority Enterprise Development Act of 1995 - Title I: Amendments to Minority Small Business and Capital Ownership Development Program - Amends the Small Business Act (the Act) to rename the small business and capital ownership development program as the Minority Enterprise Development Program (Program). Extends certain Program time limitations with respect to small businesses participating in Program activities on the date of enactment of this Act. Provides for a nine-year Phase III period of small business participation in the Program, requiring Program participants to attempt to meet certain business plan goals during the first four years, and again during the last five years, of Phase III. Prohibits small business forecasts or contract support levels from being used by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to declare a firm ineligible for the award of a contract under the Act. (Sec. 106) Allows a protest to be brought by various interested parties regarding a self-certification by a business concern of its status as a small business owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires the SBA's Office of Hearings and Appeals to hear and determine such protests. (Sec. 107) Allows a Program participant to remain eligible for Program participation after transfer of an ownership interest in the business if ownership and control is retained by the socially and economically disadvantaged individuals upon whom Program eligibility is based. Allows, after certain certification, the continued participation of a tribally owned corporation which does not have a Native American as the firm's chief executive officer. (Sec. 108) Empowers the Division for Program Certification and Eligibility to make recommendations on requests for reconsideration of denied applications for entry into Phase III of the Program, to make requests for suspension, termination, or graduation proceedings, and to implement such policy directives as may be issued by the Associate Administrator for Minority Enterprise Development. (Sec. 109) Directs the SBA to segment the Program into three phases: (1) Phase I, a startup phase; (2) Phase II, a developmental phase; and (3) Phase III, a contracting stage. Provides time limitations for participation in each phase of two years, three years, and nine years, respectively. (Sec. 111) Allows an agency with contracting authority, upon the request of a Program participant, to grant an exemption from a surety bond requirement (requiring the participant to obtain a surety performance bond and a bond protecting persons furnishing materials or labor under the contract) if the Program participant provides a certain certification, has otherwise provided for the protection of suppliers and laborers, and the award value of the contract does not exceed $1 million. (Sec. 112) Allows small businesses that have completed the nine- year Phase III program (Program graduates) to assist current Phase III participants in meeting their developmental goals. (Sec. 113) Revises the percentage of the outstanding loan balance that will be guaranteed by the SBA to 95 percent when the purpose is to finance government contracts, and to 90 percent when the purpose is for general working capital as a line of credit. Title II: Amendments to Contracting Program - Directs the SBA to seek the establishment of procurement contract goals which will assure that contracts sufficient to satisfy the contract support levels identified by participants in the Program are designated by the various Federal agencies for award. Allows the SBA or its designee to enter into sole-source prime contracts with Phase III program participants. Provides, with respect to individual contracting opportunities, for: (1) the negotiation of contract terms and conditions; (2) the resolution of performance controversies; and (3) appeals of an adverse agency decision regarding the award of a contract. (Sec. 202) Provides that whenever a requirements-type contract is to be awarded, the competition thresholds shall be calculated on the basis of the estimated total contract value. (Sec. 203) Requires the SBA, upon notification that a Federal agency intends to consider a Program participant for award of a procurement contract, to: (1) notify the agency regarding the participant's eligibility for contract award; and (2) identify any matters that could render the Program participant ineligible at the time of contract award. Provides conditions under which a Program participant may be found eligible or ineligible for the awarding of Federal agency procurement contracts. Requires a determination of ineligibility to be supported by specific findings furnished to both the participant and the agency's appropriate contracting officer. (Sec. 204) Revises provisions regarding the time limitations for requests for waiver of a provision of the Act requiring contract termination when there is a relinquishment of ownership or control of a business, or an incapacity or death occurs, during its performance. (Sec. 205) Allows Program graduates to participate in the competition for a Federal procurement contracting opportunity, under specified conditions. Terminates such authority as of January 3, 1998. (Sec. 206) Allows the head of a participating executive agency, for purposes of attaining such agency's goal for the participation in procurement contracts of small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, to enter into contracts using: (1) less than full and open competition; and (2) a price evaluation preference of up to ten percent when evaluating an offer received from such a small business as the result of an unrestricted solicitation.
Bill· HRH.R. 1937 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Small Business Advocacy Review Title II: Peer Review Survey Small Business Advocacy Act of 1995 - Title I: Small Business Advocacy Review - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate an EPA employee who is a member of the Senior Executive Service and whose immediate supervisor is appointed by the President to serve as the chairperson of each Environmental Small Business Advocacy Review Panel established under this Act. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) of the Department of Labor to designate an OSHA employee with such qualifications to serve as the chairperson of each Occupational Safety and Health Small Business Advocacy Review Panel established under this Act. Directs the appropriate chairperson, with respect to a proposed Federal agency rule (other than agency organization, management, or personnel rules), to determine whether such rule is significant (has an impact on small business and has an annual aggregate impact on government and the private sector of at least $50 million) and, if so, to notify the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget and the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration to appoint review panel members for evaluation of the rule. Requires each chairperson to notify panel members of the intent of an agency to issue a final rule, and to solicit comments from the panel with respect to the rule's effect on small business. Provides review panel administrative, procedural, and personnel matters. Directs each chairperson to submit to the appropriate Federal agency employees responsible for carrying out a significant rule and to the appropriate congressional committees a report containing the findings and recommendations of the review panel for such rule and a recommendation of whether to conduct a cross-section survey of the small businesses impacted by the rule. Prohibits: (1) the judicial review of review panel activities; or (2) the publication of a rule in the Federal Register until the appropriate chairperson has had an adequate opportunity for its review under this Act. Title II: Peer Review Survey - Provides that, if a review panel recommends that a survey be conducted, the Federal agency involved shall contract with a private sector firm or organization to conduct the survey. Requires the availability of survey results to each interested Federal agency and, upon request, to any other interested party.
Law· HRH.R. 3553 (104th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Federal Trade Commission Reauthorization Act of 1996 - Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1997 and 1998 for the Federal Trade Commission.
Bill· SS. 380 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Anti-Redlining in Insurance Disclosure Act of 1995 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish annual disclosure requirements for non-commercial insurers (providers of homeowners, dwelling fire, allied lines, and other personal lines of insurance), including: (1) the availability, affordability and type of insurance coverage by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and the region, race, and gender of policyholders; (2) the racial characteristics and location by MSA of the principal place of business of current and terminated insurance agents; and (3) for designated insurers, the total number of policies, exposures, nonrenewals, and racial characteristics of licensed agents, and the aggregate loss experience. Provides for disclosure requirements for certain commercial insurers. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on the availability, affordability, and quality of types of commercial insurance for residential properties and small businesses in urban areas. Instructs the Secretary to establish requirements for insurers to report annually on the availability, affordability, and quality or type of insurance in designated rural areas. Authorizes the Secretary to waive certain disclosure requirements if the States collect equivalent information. Directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to determine the extent to which private mortgage insurers disclose to the public and regulatory agencies information that is equivalent to that required under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975. Requires noncompliant insurers to submit the requisite information to the Secretary. Prescribes guidelines for information compilation and maintenance and for a public availability and access system. Prescribes guidelines for disclosures by insurers to applicants and policyholders, stating the reasons that an insurance application was declined. Authorizes the Secretary to provide immunity to insurers, agents, and brokers regarding their communication of a cancellation, denial, or nonrenewal of insurance. Sets forth enforcement guidelines, including civil penalties and injunctions. Directs the Secretary to establish a task force on insurance agency appointments to report to certain congressional committees on the appointment and retention of inner-city and minority agents representing property and casualty insurers. Instructs the Secretary to study and report to certain congressional committees on insurance industry practices regarding: (1) prescreening of insurance applicants; (2) meeting of the property and casualty insurance needs of the residential and small business community in low- and moderate-income and minority neighborhoods; (3) disparate claims treatment of policyholders based on race, gender, and income level; (4) basing of premium amounts on the territory in which the insured risk is located; and (5) the feasibility of establishing community reinvestment requirements for insurers comparable to those applicable to depository institutions.
Bill· HRH.R. 105 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Baseball Antitrust Restoration Amendment of 1995 - Excludes professional baseball from the antitrust exemption applicable to the telecasting of professional sports contests.
Bill· HRH.R. 4113 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Consumer Internet Privacy Protection Act of 1996 - Prohibits an interactive computer service from disclosing to a third party any personally identifiable information provided by a subscriber without the subscriber's informed written consent. Permits the subscriber to revoke such consent at any time and requires the service to cease disclosing such information. Prohibits such service or its employee from knowingly disclosing to a third party any personally identifiable information provided by a subscriber that such service has knowingly falsified. Requires, at a subscriber's request, such service to: (1) provide such individual with his or her personally identifiable information maintained by the service; (2) permit the subscriber to verify and to correct such information; and (3) provide to the subscriber the identity of the third party recipients of such information. Prohibits the service from charging a fee to the subscriber for making such information available. Grants the Federal Trade Commission the authority: (1) to investigate whether a service has been or is engaged in any act or practice prohibited by this Act; and (2) if so, to issue a cease and desist order as if such service were in violation of specified provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Allows a subscriber aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action.
Bill· HRH.R. 182 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Anti Redlining in Insurance Disclosure Act - Requires certain insurers to maintain and make available to the Secretary of Commerce and the public specified information on their practices and activities with respect to property and casualty insurance sold in urban areas, such as the number of policies sold by census tract, itemized by demographic characteristics. Mandates disclosure to insurance applicants of the reasons for rejection or nonrenewal. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to ensure that the practices of insurers in terminating agents who handle property or casualty insurance do not result in: (1) an inappropriate effect on the availability or affordability of insurance from such insurers; and (2) unfair discrimination against agents as a result of their or their clients' geographic locations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop, or assist in the improvement of, methods of matching addresses and census tracts to facilitate compliance by insurers with this Act; (2) compile for each urban area aggregate data by census tract for all insurers; and (3) produce tables for each such area indicating aggregate insurance underwriting patterns for various categories of census tracts grouped according to location, age of property, income level, and racial characteristics. Requires such data and tables to be made public. Establishes civil penalties for violations of this Act.
Bill· HRH.R. 2933 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Export Working Capital Program Enhancement Act of 1995 - Amends the Small Business Act to provide that the level of participation by the Small Business Administration in a loan on a deferred basis under the Export Working Capital Program shall be equal to the rate in effect prior to the enactment of the Small Business Lending Enhancement Act of 1995 (90 percent guarantee rate).
Bill· HRH.R. 3770 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Health-Care Professionals Coalition Act of 1996 - Makes the antitrust laws inapplicable to: (1) negotiations between a coalition of health-care professionals and a health-care service plan regarding the wages, rates of pay, hours of work, and other terms and conditions of a contract that requires members of the coalition to provide health-care services to beneficiaries of the plan; and (2) the coalition in carrying out such terms and conditions. Limits such exemption to a line of service: (1) of health-care professionals and health-care professionals groups who are members of such a coalition; and (2) with respect to which there is in the relevant market a presumption of market power held by health-care service plans with which the coalition negotiates such terms and conditions.
Bill· HRH.R. 3720 (104th)open
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Small Business Investment Company Reform Act of 1996 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to revise and add definitions. (Sec. 3) Includes as a small business investment company (SBIC) a limited liability company organized and operated in accordance with a State statute approved by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Requires each SBIC license applicant to apply to the SBA Administrator. Requires the Administrator to provide a status report to such applicant within 90 days and to act on such application within a reasonable time. Specifies matters to be considered. Provides application approval procedures for certain applicants with private capital of not less than $3 million. Repeals a provision authorizing the organization and chartering of SBICs formed to provide financing to socially or economically disadvantaged persons. (Sec. 4) Increases the private capital requirement of SBICs to: (1) $5 million; or (2) $10 million, for applicants seeking authority to issue participating securities to be purchased or guaranteed by the SBA (with an exception in special circumstances and for good cause). Requires the Administrator to determine the adequacy of the private capital of each licensee. Authorizes the Administrator to exempt from the private capital requirements licensees: (1) with private capital of not less than $2.5 million; (2) that certify that at least 50 percent of financing will be provided to smaller enterprises; and (3) that have a record of profitable operations and that have not committed any serious or continuing violations of Federal or State law, and that such action would not create an unreasonable risk of default or loss for the U.S. Government. Prohibits any licensee with less than $2.5 million in private capital from receiving additional leverage from the SBA. Directs the Administrator to ensure that the management of each SBIC licensee is sufficiently diversified from and unaffiliated with licensee ownership. (Sec. 5) Requires the Administrator to: (1) prohibit a licensee having outstanding leverage (debentures or securities guaranteed by the SBA) from incurring third party debt that creates or contributes to an unreasonable risk of default or loss for the Government; and (2) permit such licensees to incur third party debt only on established terms and conditions. Directs the Administrator: (1) to require each licensee, as a condition of approval of an application for leverage, to certify that not less than 20 percent of its financing will be provided to smaller enterprises; and (2) before approving such applications, to determine to what extent the applicant's private capital has been impaired. Provides, with respect to SBIC debentures or securities purchased and guaranteed by the SBA, for: (1) a revised equity investment requirement; (2) a leverage fee; and (3) calculation of the appropriate subsidy rate. (Sec. 7) Allows qualified private sector entities to assist the Investment Division of the SBA in the examination of SBICs. Requires each SBIC licensee to submit semiannual valuations of its loans and investments, except that licensees with no outstanding leverage shall submit such valuations annually. Requires a licensee to notify the Administrator quarterly of material adverse changes in its loans, investments, or operations. Provides independent certification and audit requirements for SBICs. Requires valuation criteria to be established or approved by the Administrator. (Sec. 8) Directs the Administrator to submit to the congressional small business committees a detailed plan to expedite the orderly liquidation of all licensee assets in liquidation, including those held in receivership or trust by the SBA. Requires the Comptroller General to report to such committees on the activities and expenditures of the receiver's agents employed by or under contract with the Investment Division of the SBA. (Sec. 9) Repeals a provision authorizing the issuer of preferred stock purchased by the SBA to redeem or repurchase such stock for an amount less than the stock's par value.
Bill· HRH.R. 1612 (104th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 August 2025
Major League Baseball Antitrust Reform Act of 1995 - Amends the Clayton Act to make the antitrust laws applicable to the business of professional major league baseball. Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect the applicability of the antitrust laws to: (1) professional baseball's amateur draft, the minor league reserve clause, the Professional Baseball Agreement, or any other matter relating to the minor leagues; (2) any restraint by professional baseball on franchise relocation; or (3) the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.