[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 150 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7926-H7927]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ARTISTIC RECOGNITION FOR TALENTED STUDENTS ACT

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (S. 169) to amend title 17, United States Code, to require the 
Register of Copyrights to waive fees for filing an application for 
registration of a copyright claim in certain circumstances, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 169

       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 ``Artistic Recognition for 
     Talented Students Act'' or the ``ARTS Act''.

     SEC. 2. WAIVER OF FEES FOR WINNERS OF CERTAIN COMPETITIONS.

       Section 708 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(e)(1) In this subsection, the term `covered competition' 
     means--
       ``(A) an art competition sponsored by the Congressional 
     Institute that is open only to high school students; or
       ``(B) the competition established under section 3 of House 
     Resolution 77, 113th Congress, agreed to February 26, 2013.
       ``(2) With respect to a work that wins a covered 
     competition, the Register of Copyrights--
       ``(A) shall waive the requirement under subsection (a)(1) 
     with respect to an application for registration of a 
     copyright claim for that work if that application is 
     submitted to the Copyright Office not later than the last day 
     of the calendar year following the year in which the work 
     claimed by the application wins the covered competition 
     (referred to in this paragraph as the `covered year'); and
       ``(B) may waive a fee described in subparagraph (A) for an 
     application submitted after the end of the covered year if 
     the fee would have been waived under that subparagraph had 
     the application been submitted before the last day of the 
     covered year.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Fitzgerald) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on S. 169.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 169, the Artistic Recognition for Talented Students 
Act, or the ARTS Act, would help introduce promising young students who 
have won either the Congressional Art Competition or the Congressional 
App Challenge to the intellectual property system by waiving the fee 
for these students to apply for a copyright for their winning work.
  I applaud the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries) for introducing 
the House version of this bipartisan, bicameral legislation with the 
gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace), along with several of my 
colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, including Courts, Intellectual 
Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Johnson and Ranking 
Member Issa, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), and the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz).
  The bill was passed under suspension last year. We are pleased today 
to take up passage of the Senate version of the bill, championed by 
Senators Leahy and Tillis, so the bill will pass both Chambers and 
become law.
  We in this Chamber know just how important intellectual property 
rights are to our country and our economy, yet studies show that 
awareness of intellectual property is lacking among the country's 
students, even if they pursue fields that are IP intensive. The ARTS 
Act helps close this awareness gap early on and allows these students 
to participate in the intellectual property system without a financial 
burden.
  What it also does is help build the farm team for all of those who 
will be protecting intellectual property in the

[[Page H7927]]

future. It gives them a sense of ownership, and it ties them to the 
Constitution because intellectual property certainly is part of their 
constitutional privilege, constitutional rights, and constitutional 
protection.
  Property rights are very important, and that is what intellectual 
property is. It builds on Congress' work to encourage the creativity of 
our Nation's youth with the establishment of the Congressional Art 
Competition and the Congressional App Challenge. Year after year, in 
both of these competitions, the talent of students displayed is 
remarkable. I know it well in the candidates that I have seen and the 
choices that our arts committee in Houston in the 18th Congressional 
District has made. They are brilliant, and the apps are equally so.
  Year after year, in both of these competitions, we see outstanding 
work. Through both, we continue to see our youth encouraged to develop 
their artistic and technical talents as Congress intended.
  The ARTS Act makes these competitions even more impactful. Under the 
bill, the students may apply to register a copyright for their winning 
work or winning app for free. This introduces these students to the 
intellectual property system and the benefits of copyright protection--
again, a constitutional right.
  Under current law, the Register of Copyrights cannot waive these fees 
on her own. The ARTS Act amends the Copyright Act to allow such a fee 
waiver for these specific circumstances. Building the farm team, again, 
is so very important.
  Once again, I applaud the sponsors of the bill for bringing forward 
this important legislation, which will aid the next generation of 
creators and innovators.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support passage, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 169, the Artistic Recognition 
for Talented Students Act.
  The Constitution authorizes Congress ``to promote the progress of 
science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and 
inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and 
discoveries.''
  Our copyright system is designed to help fulfill that mandate by 
promoting the work of authors, musicians, artists, and other creators.
  Creative industries contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to the 
U.S. economy every year. This bill makes it easier for some of our 
brightest young creators to obtain copyrights on their award-winning 
work. This is essentially the same as the bill that passed the House 
under suspension of the rules last year.
  Promoting and encouraging the next generation of American creators 
ensures that our creative economy will remain strong for decades to 
come.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, again, S. 169 is a short but important 
bill that promotes education and awareness of intellectual property to 
the next generation of creators. What an outstanding way to build the 
farm team, to create a buy-in by the young geniuses of our time, both 
in terms of the apps and arts and many other aspects.
  Again, we recognize the constitutional connection to the idea of 
property, copyright, intellectual property, and it is important for 
young people to learn early on and to be protective of the genius of 
America.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 169, the ``Artistic Recognition for Talented Students 
Act'' or the ``ARTS Act,'' would help introduce promising young 
students who have won either the Congressional Art Competition or the 
Congressional App Challenge to the intellectual property system by 
waiving the fee for those students to apply for a copyright 
registration for their winning work.
  I applaud my colleague, Mr. Jeffries, for introducing the House 
version of this bipartisan, bicameral legislation with Ms. Mace, along 
with several of my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, including 
Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member 
Issa, Mr. Cicilline, and Ms. Spartz.
  This bill was passed under suspension last year. We are pleased today 
to take up passage of the Senate version of the bill, championed by 
Senators Leahy and Tillis, so that the bill will pass both chambers and 
become law.
  We in this Chamber know just how important intellectual property 
rights are to our country and our economy. Yet studies show that 
awareness of intellectual property is lacking among the country's 
students, even if they pursue fields that are IP-intensive. The ARTS 
Act helps close this awareness gap early on and allows these students 
to participate in the intellectual property system without a financial 
burden.
  It builds on Congress's work to encourage the creativity of our 
nation's youth with the establishment of the Congressional Art 
Competition and the Congressional App Challenge more.
  Year after year, in both of these competitions, the talent our 
students display is remarkable. Through both, we continue to see our 
youth encouraged to develop their artistic and technical talents, as 
Congress intended.
  The ARTS Act makes these competitions even more impactful. Under the 
bill, students may apply to register a copyright for their winning 
artwork or winning app for free. This introduces these students to the 
intellectual property system and the benefits of copyright protection.
  Under current law, the Register of Copyrights cannot waive these fees 
on her own. The ARTS Act amends the Copyright Act to allow such a fee 
waiver for these specific circumstances.
  Once again, I applaud the sponsors of the bill for bringing this 
important legislation forward, which will aid the next generation of 
creators and innovators.
  I urge my colleagues to support its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 169 is a short but important bill that will promote 
education and awareness of intellectual property to the next generation 
of creators. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, S. 169.
  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.

                          ____________________