[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 10, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6030-H6032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION PROTECTION ACT OF 2017

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2655) to amend the Small Business Act to expand intellectual 
property education and training for small businesses, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2655

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Innovation 
     Protection Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act--
       (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
     the SBA;
       (2) the term ``Director'' means the Under Secretary of 
     Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO;
       (3) the term ``SBA'' means the Small Business 
     Administration;
       (4) the term ``small business concern'' has the meaning 
     given the term in section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 632(a));
       (5) the term ``small business development center'' means a 
     center described in section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 648); and
       (6) the term ``USPTO'' means the United States Patent and 
     Trademark Office.

     SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) the USPTO and the SBA are positioned to--
       (A) build upon several successful intellectual property and 
     training programs aimed at small business concerns; and
       (B) increase the availability of and the participation in 
     those programs across the United States; and
       (2) any education and training program administered by the 
     USPTO and the SBA should be scalable so that the program is 
     able to reach more small business concerns.

     SEC. 4. SBA AND USPTO PARTNERSHIPS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator and the Director 
     shall enter into a partnership agreement under which the 
     Administrator and Director shall--
       (1) develop high-quality training, including in-person or 
     modular training sessions, for small business concerns 
     relating to--
       (A) domestic and international protection of intellectual 
     property; and
       (B) how such protections should be considered in the 
     business plans and growth strategies of the small business 
     concerns; and
       (2) leverage existing training materials already developed 
     to educate inventors and small business concerns.
       (b) Training.--The training developed under subsection (a) 
     may be provided by the Administrator, the Director, or small 
     business development centers established under section 21 of 
     the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648)--

[[Page H6031]]

       (1) through electronic resources, including Internet-based 
     webinars; and
       (2) at physical locations, including at--
       (A) a small business development center; or
       (B) the headquarters or a regional office of the USPTO.

     SEC. 5. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.

       Section 21(c)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
     648(c)(3)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (S), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in subparagraph (T), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(U) training developed by the Administrator and the 
     Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 
     which may be delivered in person or through a website to 
     small business concerns relating to--
       ``(i) domestic and international intellectual property 
     protections; and
       ``(ii) how such protections should be considered in the 
     business plans and growth strategies of the small business 
     concerns.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Chabot) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I 
rise this evening in support of another bill, H.R. 2655, the Small 
Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017, and I want to commend the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) for his leadership on this 
bill.
  As small entrepreneurs continue to expand their businesses both here 
and abroad, they must have the tools they need to protect their 
intellectual property. Entrepreneurs and small-business owners have 
generated more than 63 percent of new jobs over the last two decades, 
and small businesses represent about 96 percent of employer firms in 
high-patenting manufacturing industries.
  However, the process for obtaining copyright, trademark, and patent 
protections both in the United States and abroad can be daunting, even 
for the most experienced small-business owners. We need to ensure that 
small-business owners have the tools they need to protect their 
innovative ideas and products, as intellectual property protections are 
essential to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
  Small-business owners often do not have the knowledge or resources to 
protect their ideas and products, especially when they are competing in 
the international marketplace. Most simply cannot afford to retain 
attorneys to guide them through the difficult process of obtaining 
intellectual property protections, which leaves them vulnerable to 
their innovative ideas and products being stolen both here in the 
United States and internationally.
  This bipartisan legislation, introduced by my friend and colleague 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) addresses this issue by forming a 
partnership between the SBA, the Small Business Administration, and the 
United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, giving 
entrepreneurs the full breadth of knowledge of the Small Business 
Development Center system and the USPTO. The partnership will provide 
training for small-business owners, which can be provided by the USPTO, 
the SBA, or a Small Business Development Center either electronically 
or at a physical location.
  This legislation utilizes existing resources at both agencies to 
better assist small-business owners and expand their outreach efforts 
to provide small businesses with the resources they need to address 
intellectual property issues.
  Considering the important role that small entrepreneurs play in our 
global marketplace, it is our responsibility to ensure that they have 
the resources they need to better protect their intellectual property. 
H.R. 2655 addresses this important small business issue and, therefore, 
I would urge my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank Mr. Evans for his leadership on 
this, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise to support H.R. 2655, the Small Business Innovation Protection 
Act of 2017.
  Innovation is an indispensable driver of economic growth and it 
ensures America's competitive edge in the global marketplace, but many 
small innovators who should have IP rights are disadvantaged by a 
complex system which allows their property to be pirated. Much of the 
time, all they needed was access to the resources, the expertise, and 
the knowledge to obtain, monitor, and enforce their rights.
  H.R. 2655 corrects this by creating a partnership between the two 
agencies best suited to help these innovators: the Small Business 
Administration and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  By leveraging existing IP education and training programs and 
utilizing the immense network of Small Business Development Centers, 
innovators will have all the necessary resources to better protect 
their interests both domestically and internationally.

                              {time}  1930

  I applaud Representative Evans for recognizing the problem and 
working to advance the interests of our Nation's small businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans).
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2655, the Small 
Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017.
  I want to thank my colleague Congressman Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania 
for working with me to help American small businesses via this critical 
piece of legislation.
  H.R. 2655 directs the Small Business Administration and the Under 
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the 
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to enter into a partnership agreement; 
one, to develop high quality training for small business concerns 
related to domestic and international protection of intellectual 
property and how such protections should be considered in small 
business concerns' business plans and growth strategies.
  Number two, to leverage existing training material already developed 
to educate inventors as well as small business concerns.
  In addition, section 4 of this bill provides that the agencies must 
use the training material that they already have at their disposal.
  I think that Members of the Congress have a special duty to try and 
ensure that our small businesses have all the tools in the toolbox they 
need to succeed.
  We know that small businesses are critical to the economic strength 
of our country, especially new and growing tech-based economies.
  That is why we should create programs like this to assist 
entrepreneurs in starting their own businesses, providing structure, 
and helping them with their progress.
  In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where there are already 1 
million small businesses, which, according to the Pennsylvania SBDC, 
employ 2.4 million workers that make up 47 percent of the private 
sector labor force, it is critical that these businesses be able to 
protect their intellectual properties so that they will feel free to 
continue growth and innovation and prosper.
  This bill is a step in the right direction by expanding intellectual 
property education and training for small businesses. And frankly, Mr. 
Speaker, this bill is an example of how we can use the power of 
government to create narrowly tailored solutions to problems in the 
current public/private partnerships in Pennsylvania and around the 
Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the support of my colleagues.
  In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, there is a letter from the 
Biotechnology Industry Organization written in support of this 
particular bill I ask that my colleagues support.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, intellectual property protections offer small innovative 
firms and entrepreneurs much needed

[[Page H6032]]

protection at home and in other countries.
  In fact, small business firms with IP rights earned 32 percent more 
in revenue on average per employee when compared to their counterparts 
without IP rights.
  Without those protections, our economy may not be what it is today.
  H.R. 2655 offers necessary education and training to sustain 
America's competitive edge and drive continued economic growth.
  As such, I once again urge my colleagues to support this measure, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation strengthens the partnership between two 
important Federal agencies that help small businesses protect what they 
have created: the SBA and the USPTO.
  It is important that small firms across the Nation have access to all 
the tools that they need to protect their creations from intellectual 
property theft.
  Therefore, I would urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 2655.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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