A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, and the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, shall appoint administrative patent judges and administrative trademark judges, and for other purposes.
Latest action · Aug 12, 2008 Became Public Law No: 110-313.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 21, 2008
- Passed SenateJul 22, 2008
- Passed HouseJul 31, 2008
- To the PresidentAug 5, 2008
- Became lawAug 12, 2008Public Law 110-313
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on July 22, 2008. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Transfers from the director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to the Secretary of Commerce the authority to appoint administrative patent judges and administrative trademark judges. Requires the Secretary to consult with the director on such appointments. Names the PTO's deputy director as an additional member of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Authorizes the Secretary, in his or her discretion, to deem the appointment of an administrative patent judge or an administrative trademark judge who, before enactment, held office pursuant to an appointment by the director to take effect on the date on which the director initially appointed the administrative patent judge.
Makes it a defense to a challenge to the appointment of an administrative patent judge or an administrative trademark judge on the basis of the judge's having been originally appointed by the director that the administrative patent judge so appointed was acting as a de facto officer.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 21, 2008.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-PA | Arlen Specter | Original | Jul 21, 2008 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 21, 2008Discharged Jul 22, 2008 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 23, 2008 |
Actions 19
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 12, 2008Signed by President.
- Aug 12, 2008Became Public Law No: 110-313.
- Aug 5, 2008Presented to President.
- Jul 31, 2008Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7707)
- Jul 31, 2008Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR 7/29/2008 H7233-7234)
- Jul 31, 2008Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 31, 2008Cleared for White House.
- Jul 29, 2008Mr. Cohen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 29, 2008DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 3295.
- Jul 29, 2008Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7233-7235)
- Jul 29, 2008At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. King (IA) objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
- Jul 23, 2008Received in the House.
- Jul 23, 2008Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 23, 2008Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Jul 22, 2008Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S7079)
- Jul 22, 2008Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S7079)
- Jul 22, 2008Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S7079)
- Jul 21, 2008Introduced in Senate
- Jul 21, 2008Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6976)
In the Congressional Record 5
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1657 | Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Aug 1, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H7707 | — | Jul 31, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H7233–H7235Text printed H7233 | Steve Cohen D-TN, Steve King R-IA | Jul 29, 2008 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S7079Text printed S7079 | Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Sherrod Brown D-OH | Jul 22, 2008 |
| Senate | Text printed S6976 | Patrick J. Leahy D-VT (text) | Jul 21, 2008 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL34619 | Use of the Capitol Rotunda, Capitol Grounds, and Emancipation Hall: Concurrent Resolutions, 101st to 119th Congresses | Report | Feb 6, 2026 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
Titles 1
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, and the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, shall appoint administrative patent judges and administrative trademark judges, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Aug 1, 2008Enrolled Bill
- Jul 23, 2008Referred in House
- Jul 22, 2008Engrossed in Senate
- Jul 21, 2008Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
