[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 58 (Tuesday, May 3, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S2637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL INVENTORS MONTH

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 161.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 161) designating May 2011 as 
     ``National Inventors Month.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in 
the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 161) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 161

       Whereas the first United States patent was issued in 1790 
     to Samuel Hopkins of the State of Vermont for a process to 
     make better fertilizer;
       Whereas American inventors have contributed to advances in 
     life sciences, technology, and manufacturing;
       Whereas the Constitution specifically provides for the 
     granting of exclusive rights to inventors for their 
     discoveries;
       Whereas the United States patent system is intended to 
     implement that constitutional imperative and incentivize 
     inventions;
       Whereas American inventors benefit from an up-to-date and 
     efficient patent system and the economy, jobs, and consumers 
     of the United States benefit from the inventions;
       Whereas the next great American invention could be among 
     the 700,000 patent applications pending as of the date of 
     approval of this resolution in the United States Patent and 
     Trademark Office;
       Whereas the last changes to the United States patent system 
     were made nearly 60 years ago;
       Whereas an updated patent system will unleash innovation 
     and create jobs in the United States without adding to the 
     deficit;
       Whereas every May, a new class of inventors is inducted 
     into the National Inventors Hall of Fame;
       Whereas in the 112th Congress, a bill was introduced in the 
     House of Representatives entitled the ``America Invents Act'' 
     (H.R. 1249) to make reforms to the United States patent 
     system; and
       Whereas the Senate on March 8, 2011, passed the bill 
     entitled the ``America Invents Act'' (S. 23), which will make 
     the first comprehensive reforms to the United States patent 
     system in nearly 60 years: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate designates May 2011, as 
     ``National Inventors Month''.

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I am pleased that the Senate has acted 
quickly to pass a resolution designating May 2011 as National Inventors 
Month. On May 4, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, in partnership 
with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, will hold its 39th 
Annual National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
  Our Nation's inventors are the catalyst of our economy. Their 
inventions, when protected by a strong, efficient, and balanced patent 
system lead to new products and processes for American consumers and 
new jobs for American workers.
  Earlier this year, the United States Senate passed overwhelmingly the 
America Invents Act, to ensure that our Nation's inventors and 
innovators have a 21st Century patent system that speeds high quality 
patents to market. The United States House Committee on the Judiciary 
recently voted to approve a very similar version of this legislation on 
a strong bipartisan vote. I look forward to working together to get the 
America Invents Act to the President's desk and providing our inventors 
with the legal landscape they need to flourish.
  I appreciate the efforts of Inventors Digest Magazine and others who 
have promoted National Inventors Month.

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