KEY POINTS:
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would make private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to prosecution by US courts.
The legislation, passed yesterday, was the first major response by Congress to a deadly shooting in Baghdad that involved Blackwater USA security guards.
Democrats called the 389-30 vote an indictment of the incident, which left at least 13 Iraqis dead. Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to follow suit with similar legislation and send a bill to President George W. Bush.
