Terms Used In U.S. Code > Title 15 > Chapter 2D > Subchapter I - Investment Companies

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Administrator: means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. See 16 USC 3951
• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Advisory board: means a board, whether elected or appointed, which is distinct from the board of directors or board of trustees, of an investment company, and which is composed solely of persons who do not serve such company in any other capacity, whether or not the functions of such board are such as to render its members "directors" within the definition of that term, which board has advisory functions as to investments but has no power to determine that any security or other investment shall be purchased or sold by such company. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affiliated company: means a company which is an affiliated person. See 15 USC 80a-2
• agency: means a Federal department or agency (or combination of Federal departments or agencies). See 19 USC 2578b
• Agreement: means the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade referred to in section 3511(d)(5) of this title. See 19 USC 2571
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• approved conservation plan: means the conservation plan of a State approved by the Secretary pursuant to section 2904(a) of this title. See 16 USC 2902
• aquaculture: means the propagation and rearing of aquatic species in controlled or selected environments, including, but not limited to, ocean ranching (except private ocean ranching of Pacific salmon for profit in those States where such ranching is prohibited by law). See 16 USC 2802
• aquaculture facility: means any land, structure, or other appurtenance that is used for aquaculture and is located in any State. See 16 USC 2802
• aquatic species: means any species of finfish, mollusk, crustacean, or other aquatic invertebrate, amphibian, reptile, or aquatic plant. See 16 USC 2802
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Assignment: includes any direct or indirect transfer or hypothecation of a contract or chose in action by the assignor, or of a controlling block of the assignor's outstanding voting securities by a security holder of the assignor. See 15 USC 80a-2
• association: when used in reference to a corporation, shall be deemed to embrace the words "successors and assigns of such company or association" in like manner as if these last-named words, or words of similar import, were expressed. See 1 USC 5
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Bank: means (A) a depository institution (as defined in section 1813 of title 12) or a branch or agency of a foreign bank (as such terms are defined in section 3101 of title 12), (B) a member bank of the Federal Reserve System, (C) any other banking institution or trust company, whether incorporated or not, doing business under the laws of any State or of the United States, a substantial portion of the business of which consists of receiving deposits or exercising fiduciary powers similar to those permitted to national banks under the authority of the Comptroller of the Currency, and which is supervised and examined by State or Federal authority having supervision over banks, and which is not operated for the purpose of evading the provisions of this subchapter, and (D) a receiver, conservator, or other liquidating agent of any institution or firm included in clauses (A), (B), or (C) of this paragraph. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Board: means any Regional Marine Research board ¹ established pursuant to section 1447b(a) of this title. See 16 USC 1447a
• borrow: includes a sale coupled with a similar agreement. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Budget authority: Authority provided by law to enter into obligations that will result in outlays of Federal funds. Budget authority may be classified by the period of availability (one-year, multiyear, no-year), by the timing of congressional action (current or permanent), or by the manner of determining the amount available (definite or indefinite).
• Business development company: means any closed-end company which&mdash. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• charitable lead trust: means a trust described in section 170(f)(2)(B), 2055(e)(2)(B), or 2522(c)(2)(B) of title 26. See 15 USC 80a-3
• charitable organization: means an organization described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 170(c) or section 501(c)(3) of title 26. See 15 USC 80a-3
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Civil forfeiture: The loss of ownership of property used to conduct illegal activity.
• coastal State: means a State of the United States in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, or one or more of the Great Lakes. See 16 USC 3951
• coastal wetlands conservation project: means &mdash. See 16 USC 3951
• coastal wetlands restoration project: means any technically feasible activity to create, restore, protect, or enhance coastal wetlands through sediment and freshwater diversion, water management, or other measures that the Task Force finds will significantly contribute to the long-term restoration or protection of the physical, chemical and biological integrity of coastal wetlands in the State of Louisiana, and includes any such activity authorized under this chapter or under any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, new projects, completion or expansion of existing or on-going projects, individual phases, portions, or components of projects and operation, maintanence ² and rehabilitation of completed projects. See 16 USC 3951
• Commission: means any of the Commissions of the Organization that are established by the Convention. See 16 USC 3601
• Commission: means the Pacific Salmon Commission established by the Treaty. See 16 USC 3631
• Commission: means the Securities and Exchange Commission. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Commissioner: means a United States Commissioner appointed under section 3602 of this title. See 16 USC 3601
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. See 19 USC 2578b
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Company: means a corporation, a partnership, an association, a joint-stock company, a trust, a fund, or any organized group of persons whether incorporated or not. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Concurrent resolution: A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee. Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President/Governor and thus do not have the force of law.
• Conference report: The compromise product negotiated by the conference committee. The "conference report" is submitted to each chamber for its consideration, such as approval or disapproval.
• conformity assessment procedure: means any procedure used, directly or indirectly, to determine that relevant requirements in technical regulations or standards are fulfilled. See 19 USC 2571
• conservation plan: means a plan developed by a State for the conservation of fish and wildlife which meets the requirements set forth in section 2903 of this title. See 16 USC 2902
• consumer education: means actions undertaken to inform consumers on matters related to the consumption of fish and fish products. See 16 USC 4003
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Control: means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company. See 15 USC 80a-2
• controlled substance: has the meaning given that term in section 802(6) of title 21. See 19 USC 1401
• Convention: means the Convention for the Conservation of Salmon in the North Atlantic Ocean, signed at Reykjavik, Iceland, on March 2, 1982. See 16 USC 3601
• Convicted: includes a verdict, judgment, or plea of guilty, or a finding of guilt on a plea of nolo contendere, if such verdict, judgment, plea, or finding has not been reversed, set aside, or withdrawn, whether or not sentence has been imposed. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• coordinating group: means the interagency aquaculture coordinating group established by section 2805 of this title. See 16 USC 2802
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Council: means the Council established by the Convention. See 16 USC 3601
• council: means a seafood promotional council established under section 4009 of this title. See 16 USC 4003
• county: includes a parish, or any other equivalent subdivision of a State or Territory of the United States. See 1 USC 2
• customs waters: means , in the case of a foreign vessel subject to a treaty or other arrangement between a foreign government and the United States enabling or permitting the authorities of the United States to board, examine, search, seize, or otherwise to enforce upon such vessel upon the high seas the laws of the United States, the waters within such distance of the coast of the United States as the said authorities are or may be so enabled or permitted by such treaty or arrangement and, in the case of every other vessel, the waters within four leagues of the coast of the United States. See 19 USC 1401
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• damages: includes &mdash. See 16 USC 1432
• day: means the time from eight o'clock antemeridian to five o'clock postmeridian. See 19 USC 1401
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• designated State agency: means the commission, department, division, or other agency of a State which has primary legal authority for the conservation of fish and wildlife. See 16 USC 2902
• designated State agency: means the government agency, department, or division of any State that is empowered under the laws of the State to exercise the functions ordinarily exercised by a State fish and wildlife agency. See 16 USC 3743
• development activities: means any activity, including the discharge of dredged or fill material, which results directly in a more than de minimus ¹ change in the hydrologic regime, bottom contour, or the type, distribution or diversity of hydrophytic vegetation, or which impairs the flow, reach, or circulation of surface water within wetlands or other waters. See 16 USC 3951
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Director: means the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. See 16 USC 3951
• Director: means any director of a corporation or any person performing similar functions with respect to any organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, including any natural person who is a member of a board of trustees of a management company created as a common-law trust. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donee: The recipient of a gift.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• draft management plan: means the plan described in section 1434(a)(1)(C)(v) ¹ of this title. See 16 USC 1432
• electronic data interchange system: means any established mechanism approved by the Commissioner of U. See 19 USC 1401
• electronic transmission: means the transfer of data or information through an authorized electronic data interchange system consisting of, but not limited to, computer modems and computer networks. See 19 USC 1401
• Eligible portfolio company: means any issuer which&mdash. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. ^{Source: OCC}
• enhancement: means manmade improvements to natural habitats, or the application of artificial fish culture technology, that will lead to the increase of salmon stocks. See 16 USC 3631
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• excess animals: means wild free-roaming horses or burros (1) which have been removed from an area by the Secretary pursuant to applicable law or, (2) which must be removed from an area in order to preserve and maintain a thriving natural ecological balance and multiple-use relationship in that area. See 16 USC 1332
• Exchange: means any organization, association, or group of persons, whether incorporated or unincorporated, which constitutes, maintains, or provides a market place or facilities for bringing together purchasers and sellers of securities or for otherwise performing with respect to securities the functions commonly performed by a stock exchange as that term is generally understood, and includes the market place and the market facilities maintained by such exchange. See 15 USC 80a-2
• exclusive economic zone: means the exclusive economic zone as defined in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. See 16 USC 1432
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Face-amount certificate: means any certificate, investment contract, or other security which represents an obligation on the part of its issuer to pay a stated or determinable sum or sums at a fixed or determinable date or dates more than twenty-four months after the date of issuance, in consideration of the payment of periodic installments of a stated or determinable amount (which security shall be known as a face-amount certificate of the "installment type"). See 15 USC 80a-2
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Federal agency: means any of the following within the meaning of chapter 2 of part I of title 5:

  (A) Any executive department. See 19 USC 2571

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: A government corporation that insures the deposits of all national and state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. ^{Source: OCC}
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• fish: means finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of aquatic animal life used for human consumption. See 16 USC 4003
• fish and wildlife: means wild vertebrate animals that are in an unconfined state, including, but not limited to, nongame fish and wildlife. See 16 USC 2902
• fish and wildlife: means wild members of the animal kingdom that are in an unconfined state. See 16 USC 3743
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Foreign financial regulatory authority: means any (A) foreign securities authority, (B) other governmental body or foreign equivalent of a self-regulatory organization empowered by a foreign government to administer or enforce its laws relating to the regulation of fiduciaries, trusts, commercial lending, insurance, trading in contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery, or other instruments traded on or subject to the rules of a contract market, board of trade or foreign equivalent, or other financial activities, or (C) membership organization a function of which is to regulate the participation of its members in activities listed above. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Foreign securities authority: means any foreign government or any governmental body or regulatory organization empowered by a foreign government to administer or enforce its laws as they relate to securities matters. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Fund: means the Wildlife Conservation and Appreciation Fund established under section 3744(g) of this title. See 16 USC 3743
• Fund: means the Fisheries Promotional Fund established in section 4008 of this title. See 16 USC 4003
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a strict standard of relevance.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governor: means the Governor of Louisiana. See 16 USC 3951
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• harvester: means any individual who is in the business of catching or growing fish for purposes of sale. See 16 USC 4003
• herd: means one or more stallions and his mares. See 16 USC 1332
• high potential historic sites: means those historic sites related to the route, or sites in close proximity thereto, which provide opportunity to interpret the historic significance of the trail during the period of its major use. See 16 USC 1251
• high potential route segments: means those segments of a trail which would afford high quality recreation experience in a portion of the route having greater than average scenic values or affording an opportunity to vicariously share the experience of the original users of a historic route. See 16 USC 1251
• hovering vessel: means &mdash. See 19 USC 1401
• import activity summary statement: refers to data or information transmitted electronically to the Customs Service, in accordance with such regulations as the Secretary prescribes, at the end of a specified period of time which enables the Customs Service to assess properly the duties, taxes and fees on merchandise imported during that period, collect accurate statistics and determine whether any other applicable requirement of law (other than a requirement relating to release from customs custody) is met. See 19 USC 1401
• improved property: as used in this chapter , means a detached, one-family dwelling (hereinafter referred to as "dwelling"), the construction of which was begun before January 1, 1967, (except where a different date is specifically provided by law with respect to any particular river) together with so much of the land on which the dwelling is situated, the said land being in the same ownership as the dwelling, as the appropriate Secretary shall designate to be reasonably necessary for the enjoyment of the dwelling for the sole purpose of noncommercial residential use, together with any structures accessory to the dwelling which are situated on the land so designated. See 16 USC 1277
• individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Insurance company: means a company which is organized as an insurance company, whose primary and predominant business activity is the writing of insurance or the reinsuring of risks underwritten by insurance companies, and which is subject to supervision by the insurance commissioner or a similar official or agency of a State. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• international conformity assessment procedure: means a conformity assessment procedure that is adopted by an international standards organization. See 19 USC 2571
• international standard: means any standard that is promulgated by an international standards organization. See 19 USC 2571
• international standard-setting organization: means an organization consisting of representatives of 2 or more countries, the purpose of which is to negotiate, develop, promulgate, or amend an international standard. See 19 USC 2578b
• international standards organization: means any organization&mdash. See 19 USC 2571
• Interstate commerce: means trade, commerce, transportation, or communication among the several States, or between any foreign country and any State, or between any State and any place or ship outside thereof. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Investment banker: means any person engaged in the business of underwriting securities issued by other persons, but does not include an investment company, any person who acts as an underwriter in isolated transactions but not as a part of a regular business, or any person solely by reason of the fact that such person is an underwriter for one or more investment companies. See 15 USC 80a-2
• investment company: means any issuer which&mdash. See 15 USC 80a-3
• investment securities: includes all securities except (A) Government securities, (B) securities issued by employees' securities companies, and (C) securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries of the owner which (i) are not investment companies, and (ii) are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company in paragraph (1) or (7) of subsection (c). See 15 USC 80a-3
• Issuer: means every person who issues or proposes to issue any security, or has outstanding any security which it has issued. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Layover: Informal term for a period of delay required by rule. For example, when a bill or other measure is reported from committee, it may be considered on the floor only after it "lies over" for one legislative day and after the written report has been available for two calendar days. Layover periods may be waived by unanimous consent.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legacy: A gift of property made by will.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• local government: means any city, town, borough, county, parish, district, or other public body which is a political subdivision of a State and which is created pursuant to State law. See 16 USC 1447a
• Magistrate judges: Judicial officers who assist U.S. district judges in getting cases ready for trial, who may decide some criminal and civil trials when both parties agree to have the case heard by a magistrate judge instead of a judge.
• Magnuson-Stevens Act: means the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U. See 16 USC 1432
• Majority leader: see Floor Leaders
• marine and coastal waters: means estuaries, waters of the estuarine zone, including wetlands, any other waters seaward of the historic height of tidal influence, the territorial seas, the contiguous zone, and the ocean. See 16 USC 1447a
• marine environment: means those areas of coastal and ocean waters, the Great Lakes and their connecting waters, and submerged lands over which the United States exercises jurisdiction, including the exclusive economic zone, consistent with international law. See 16 USC 1432
• market intermediary: means any person that regularly holds itself out as being willing contemporaneously to engage in, and that is regularly engaged in, the business of entering into transactions on both sides of the market for a financial contract or one or more such financial contracts. See 15 USC 80a-3
• marketer: means any person who is in the business of selling fish or fish products in the wholesale, retail, or restaurant trade, but whose primary business function is not the processing or packaging of fish or fish products in preparation for sale. See 16 USC 4003
• marketing and promotion: means an activity aimed at encouraging the consumption of fish or fish products or expanding or maintaining commercial markets for fish or fish products. See 16 USC 4003
• master: means the person having the command of the vessel. See 19 USC 1401
• Means or instrumentality of interstate commerce: includes any facility of a national securities exchange. See 15 USC 80a-2
• member: means any person serving on the National Council or on any council. See 16 USC 4003
• Member: means a WTO member as defined in section 3501(10) of this title. See 19 USC 2571
• member of the immediate family: means any parent, spouse of a parent, child, spouse of a child, spouse, brother, or sister, and includes step and adoptive relationships. See 15 USC 80a-2
• merchandise: means goods, wares, and chattels of every description, and includes merchandise the importation of which is prohibited, and monetary instruments as defined in section 5312 of title 31. See 19 USC 1401
• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• National Council: means the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council established in section 4004 of this title. See 16 USC 4003
• National Customs Automation Program: means the program established under section 1411 of this title. See 19 USC 1401
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: means the charitable and nonprofit corporation established under section 3701 of this title. See 16 USC 3743
• National securities exchange: means an exchange registered under section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 [15 U. See 15 USC 80a-2
• night: means the time from five o'clock postmeridian to eight o'clock antemeridian. See 19 USC 1401
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• nonconsumptive activities: means fish and wildlife associated activities other than harvesting of fish and wildlife and includes, but is not limited to, photographing, observing, learning about, or associating with, fish and wildlife. See 16 USC 3743
• nongame fish and wildlife: means wild vertebrate animals that are in an unconfined state and that&mdash. See 16 USC 2902
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• oath: includes affirmation, and "sworn" includes affirmed. See 1 USC 1
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• offer for sale: includes every contract of sale or disposition of, attempt or offer to dispose of, or solicitation of an offer to buy, a security or interest in a security, for value. See 15 USC 80a-2
• officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
• Organization: means the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization established under the Convention. See 16 USC 3601
• Outlays: Outlays are payments made (generally through the issuance of checks or disbursement of cash) to liquidate obligations. Outlays during a fiscal year may be for payment of obligations incurred in prior years or in the same year.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Panel: means any of the Panels established by the Treaty. See 16 USC 3631
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Periodic payment plan certificate: means (A) any certificate, investment contract, or other security providing for a series of periodic payments by the holder, and representing an undivided interest in certain specified securities or in a unit or fund of securities purchased wholly or partly with the proceeds of such payments, and (B) any security the issuer of which is also issuing securities of the character described in clause (A) of this paragraph and the holder of which has substantially the same rights and privileges as those which holders of securities of the character described in said clause (A) have upon completing the periodic payments for which such securities provide. See 15 USC 80a-2
• person: means any individual who is a citizen or national of the United States or of any State, any Indian tribe, any institution of higher education, and any corporation, partnership, association or other entity (including, but not limited to, any community development corporation, producer cooperative, or fishermen's cooperative) organized or existing under the laws of any State. See 16 USC 2802
• person: means any individual (whether or not a citizen or national of the United States), any corporation, partnership, association, or other entity (whether or not organized or existing under the laws of any State). See 16 USC 3631
• person: means any individual, group of individuals, partnership, corporation, association, cooperative, or any private entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States or any State, commonwealth, territory or possession of the United States. See 16 USC 4003
• Person: means a natural person or a company. See 15 USC 80a-2
• person: includes partnerships, associations, and corporations. See 19 USC 1401
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plan: means the National Aquaculture Development Plan required to be established under section 2803 of this title. See 16 USC 2802
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• private person: means &mdash. See 19 USC 2571
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• processor: means any person who is in the business of preparing or packaging fish or fish products (including fish of the processor's own harvesting) for sale. See 16 USC 4003
• product: means any natural or manufactured item. See 19 USC 2571
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• prospectus: means a prospectus as defined in the Securities Act of 1933 [15 U. See 15 USC 80a-2
• public lands: means any lands administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management or by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Forest Service. See 16 USC 1332
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Qualified purchaser: means &mdash. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• range: means the amount of land necessary to sustain an existing herd or herds of wild free-roaming horses and burros, which does not exceed their known territorial limits, and which is devoted principally but not necessarily exclusively to their welfare in keeping with the multiple-use management concept for the public lands. See 16 USC 1332
• Ranking minority member: The highest ranking (and usually longest serving) minority member of a committee or subcommittee.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• receiver: means any person who owns fish processing vessels and any person in the business of acquiring fish directly from harvesters. See 16 USC 4003
• reconciliation: means an electronic process, initiated at the request of an importer, under which the elements of an entry (other than those elements related to the admissibility of the merchandise) that are undetermined at the time the importer files or transmits the documentation or information required by section 1484(a)(1)(B) of this title, or the import activity summary statement, are provided to the Customs Service at a later time. See 19 USC 1401
• reconfigured entry: means an entry filed on an import activity summary statement which substitutes for all or part of 1 or more entries filed under section 1484(a)(1)(A) of this title or filed on a reconciliation entry that aggregates the entry elements to be reconciled under section 1484(b) of this title for purposes of liquidation, reliquidation, or protest. See 19 USC 1401
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Redeemable security: means any security, other than short-term paper, under the terms of which the holder, upon its presentation to the issuer or to a person designated by the issuer, is entitled (whether absolutely or only out of surplus) to receive approximately his proportionate share of the issuer's current net assets, or the cash equivalent thereof. See 15 USC 80a-2
• region: means 1 of the 9 regions described in section 1447b(a) of this title. See 16 USC 1447a
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Reorganization: means (A) a reorganization under the supervision of a court of competent jurisdiction. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• research: means any type of research designed to advance the image, desirability, usage, marketability, production or quality of fish and fish products. See 16 USC 4003
• response costs: means the costs of actions taken or authorized by the Secretary to minimize destruction or loss of, or injury to, sanctuary resources, or to minimize the imminent risks of such destruction, loss, or injury, including costs related to seizure, forfeiture, storage, or disposal arising from liability under section 1443 of this title. See 16 USC 1432
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• River: means a flowing body of water or estuary or a section, portion, or tributary thereof, including rivers, streams, creeks, runs, kills, rills, and small lakes. See 16 USC 1286
• sales load: includes the sales load on any investment company securities in which the payments made on such certificate are invested, as well as the sales load on the certificate itself. See 15 USC 80a-2
• salmon: means all species of salmon which migrate in or into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean north of 36 degrees north latitude. See 16 USC 3601
• salmon: means any anadromous species of the family Salmonidae and genus Oncorhynchus, commonly known as Pacific salmon, including but not limited to:
  
  

  Popular names	Scientific name
  Chinook or King Salmon	Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
  Coho or Silver Salmon	Oncorhynchus kisutch
  Pink or Humpback Salmon	Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
  Chum or Dog Salmon	Oncorhynchus keta
  Sockeye or Red Salmon	Oncorhynchus nerka

  
  

  and shall also include Steelhead (Salmo gairdneri). See 16 USC 3631

• sanctuary resource: means any living or nonliving resource of a national marine sanctuary that contributes to the conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, educational, cultural, archeological, scientific, or aesthetic value of the sanctuary. See 16 USC 1432
• Savings and loan association: means a savings and loan association, building and loan association, cooperative bank, homestead association, or similar institution, which is supervised and examined by State or Federal authority having supervision over any such institution, and a receiver, conservator, or other liquidating agent of any such institution. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Scenic easement: means the right to control the use of land (including the air space above such land) within the authorized boundaries of a component of the wild and scenic rivers system, for the purpose of protecting the natural qualities of a designated wild, scenic or recreational river area, but such control shall not affect, without the owner's consent, any regular use exercised prior to the acquisition of the easement. See 16 USC 1286
• Secretaries: means the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of the Interior. See 16 USC 2802
• Secretary: means the Secretary of the Interior when used in connection with public lands administered by him through the Bureau of Land Management and the Secretary of Agriculture in connection with public lands administered by him through the Forest Service. See 16 USC 1332
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Commerce. See 16 USC 1432
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Agriculture. See 16 USC 2002
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Agriculture. See 16 USC 2802
• Secretary: means the Secretary of the Interior. See 16 USC 2902
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Commerce. See 16 USC 3631
• Secretary: means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. See 16 USC 3743
• Secretary: means the Secretary of the Army. See 16 USC 3951
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary's designee. See 16 USC 4003
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. See 42 USC 201
• Secretary: means the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate. See 19 USC 1401
• Secretary concerned: means the Secretary of Commerce with respect to functions under this subchapter relating to nonagricultural products, and the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to functions under this subchapter relating to agricultural products. See 19 USC 2571
• sector: means &mdash. See 16 USC 4003
• Security: means any note, stock, treasury stock, security future, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement, collateral-trust certificate, preorganization certificate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting-trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege on any security (including a certificate of deposit) or on any group or index of securities (including any interest therein or based on the value thereof), or any put, call, straddle, option, or privilege entered into on a national securities exchange relating to foreign currency, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a "security" or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase, any of the foregoing. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Separate account: means an account established and maintained by an insurance company pursuant to the laws of any State or territory of the United States, or of Canada or any province thereof, under which income, gains and losses, whether or not realized, from assets allocated to such account, are, in accordance with the applicable contract, credited to or charged against such account without regard to other income, gains, or losses of the insurance company. See 15 USC 80a-2
• Service: means the Public Health Service. See 42 USC 201
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Short-term paper: means any note, draft, bill of exchange, or banker's acceptance payable on demand or having a maturity at the time of issuance of not exceeding nine months, exclusive of days of grace, or any renewal thereof payable on demand or having a maturity likewise limited. See 15 USC 80a-2
• soil and water conservation program: means a set of guidelines for attaining the purposes of this chapter. See 16 USC 2002
• standard: means a document approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods, with which compliance is not mandatory. See 19 USC 2571
• standards-related activity: means the development, adoption, or application of any standard, technical regulation, or conformity assessment procedure. See 19 USC 2571
• State: means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States. See 16 USC 1251
• State: means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States. See 16 USC 1432
• State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. See 16 USC 1447a
• State: means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 16 USC 2802
• State: means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. See 16 USC 2902
• State: means any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, or American Samoa. See 16 USC 3743
• State: means the State of Louisiana. See 16 USC 3951
• State: includes , in addition to the several States, only the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. See 42 USC 201
• State: means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or any other possession of the United States. See 15 USC 80a-2
• State: means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and any other Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States. See 19 USC 2571
• State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
• State agency: means any department, agency, or other instrumentality of the government of any State or of any political subdivision of any State. See 19 USC 2571
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Statute of limitations: A law that sets the time within which parties must take action to enforce their rights.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• subscription: includes a mark when the person making the same intended it as such. See 1 USC 1
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• System: means the National Marine Sanctuary System established by section 1431 of this title. See 16 USC 1432
• Task Force: means the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force which shall consist of the Secretary, who shall serve as chairman, the Administrator, the Governor, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Commerce. See 16 USC 3951
• technical regulation: means a document which lays down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory. See 19 USC 2571
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trade Representative: means the United States Trade Representative. See 19 USC 2571
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Treaty: means the Treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada Concerning Pacific Salmon, signed at Ottawa, January 28, 1985. See 16 USC 3631
• treaty Indian tribe: means any of the federally recognized Indian tribes of the Columbia River basin, Washington coast or Puget Sound areas having reserved fishing rights to salmon stocks subject to the Treaty under treaties with the United States Government. See 16 USC 3631
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Underwriter: means any person who has purchased from an issuer with a view to, or sells for an issuer in connection with, the distribution of any security, or participates or has a direct or indirect participation in any such undertaking, or participates or has a participation in the direct or indirect underwriting of any such undertaking. See 15 USC 80a-2
• United States: means the several States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and any other territory, possession, or commonwealth of the United States. See 16 USC 4003
• United States: when used in a geographical context, means all States. See 19 USC 2571
• United States: includes all Territories and possessions of the United States except the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Wake Island, Midway Islands, Kingman Reef, Johnston Island, and the island of Guam. See 19 USC 1401
• United States Section: means the four United States Commissioners appointed by the President pursuant to this chapter. See 16 USC 3631
• User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
• vehicle: includes every description of carriage or other contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on land, but does not include aircraft. See 19 USC 1401
• vehicle: includes every description of carriage or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on land. See 1 USC 4
• venture capital fund: has the meaning given the term in section 275. See 15 USC 80a-3
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• vessel: includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water. See 1 USC 3
• Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
• Voting security: means any security presently entitling the owner or holder thereof to vote for the election of directors of a company. See 15 USC 80a-2
• wetlands: means (1) the inland fresh areas described as types 1 through 7 in Circular 39, Wetlands of the United States, published by the United States Department of the Interior (or the inland fresh areas corresponding to such types in any successor wetland classification system developed by the Department of the Interior), (2) artificially developed inland fresh areas that meet the description of the inland fresh areas described in clause (1) of this sentence, and (3) such other wetland types as the Secretary may designate. See 16 USC 1302
• whoever: include corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and joint stock companies, as well as individuals. See 1 USC 1
• wild free-roaming horses and burros: means all unbranded and unclaimed horses and burros on public lands of the United States. See 16 USC 1332
• wildlife conservation and appreciation project: means a project which is directed toward nonconsumptive activities or toward the conservation of those species of fish and wildlife that&mdash. See 16 USC 3743
• without expense to the United States: means that no funds may be expended by Federal agencies for the development of trail related facilities or for the acquisition of lands or interests in lands outside the exterior boundaries of Federal areas. See 16 USC 1251
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• writing: includes printing and typewriting and reproductions of visual symbols by photographing, multigraphing, mimeographing, manifolding, or otherwise. See 1 USC 1