According to BNA (subscription service), seven Senators and five House members have sent letters to members of each chambers’ Judiciary Committee chairman, requesting that they slow down action on the patent reform bills that were recently introduced in each chamber. This follows Sen. Specter’s letter to the Senate committee’s chairman, Sen. Leahy, shortly after the bills introduction, requesting the same thing. The congressmen seek to ensure that all interested parties are heard on the issues.
Judiciary Committee members Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Russell D. Feingold (D-WI), Jon L. Kyl (R-AZ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Christopher S. Bond (R-MO), and Sam Brownback (R-KS) sent the most recent letter to Sen. Leahy, which joined with Sen. Specter’s letter makes eight of the eighteen members of the committee that have asked for a slow down in considering the legislation. The senators repeated Sen. Specter’s point of waiting until the Obama Administration appoints a new PTO Director to determine the administration’s view of the bill. They also cited a lack of consensus on a number of issues, including damages, in the last congress.
The senators’ letter called for the committee not to rush in considering the legislation, but to take a more careful examination of the damages provisions. “We simply request a bit more time and collaboration so that the committee can make sure it gets this important legislation right, and improve its chances for enactment,” the senators’ letter concluded.
Meanwhile, five Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Steve King (R-IA), Trent Franks (R-AZ), and Ted Poe (R-TX), have sent a letter to its chairman, John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), calling for additional hearings on the House version of the bill. They noted that the bill is similar to the same bill that passed the House last year by a mere 23 votes. Each of the signatories to the letter voted against the bill last year.
Sen. Leahy seems to be ignoring the chorus, however, as he has already scheduled a markup session for the Senate bill on March 19. It appears that he plans to move quickly on the new bill.
Although both sides are calling patent reform a non-partisan issue, it appears to be shaping up to be a partisan fight with Democrats generally favoring the reform bills and Republicans generally opposed. This doesn’t bode well for opponents, since Democrats control both houses of Congress and the White House.
