| Sponsor | Rep. Mollohan, Alan B. |
| Committee | Appropriations |
| Date | July 28, 2010 (111th Congress, 2nd Session) |
| Staff Contact | Adam Hepburn |
H.R. 5874 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on Wednesday July 28, 2010, under a motion to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds vote for passage. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) on July 27, 2010.
H.R. 5874 would appropriate $129 million to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and would rescind $129 million in appropriated funding from the Bureau of the Census.
The bill specifies that the sum appropriated shall be reduced as offsetting collections are received by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during FY 2010. Additionally, should the total amount of offsetting fee collections be less than $2 billion, the appropriated sum would be reduced accordingly.
According to CRS, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examines and approves applications for patents on claimed inventions and registers trademarks. It also supports other federal departments and agencies to protect American intellectual property. The USPTO is funded by user fees paid by customers that are designated as "offsetting collections" and subject to spending limits established by the Committee on Appropriations. H.R. 5874 would appropriate rescinded Census funds for the USPTO, which would be offset to as much extent possible by offsetting collections for the duration of FY 2010.
The Congressional Budget Office has not produced a score for this bill as of press time.