[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3641-3642]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       DEFEND TRADE SECRETS BILL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today the Senate will vote on the 
Defend Trade Secrets Act. This bipartisan legislation can help promote 
growth of the economy, help spur the increase and retention of American 
jobs, and help protect American innovation in the global economy. It 
aims to do so by providing tools for American companies both small and 
large to effectively protect some of their most valuable assets in 
today's international economy.
  American companies spend billions every year on research and 
development and in the creation of products we use every day. But some 
thieves would rather not go through the trouble of developing products 
themselves; they would rather just steal the fruits of others' 
creativity and innovation. That is more than just wrong; it puts 
American jobs and the American economy at risk.
  American businesses find themselves increasingly under attack from a 
sophisticated effort to steal the very things that give them a 
competitive edge in the 21st-century economy--things such as codes, 
formulas, and confidential manufacturing processes. While it has never 
been easier for these thieves to launch attacks on innovation, 
sometimes armed with little more than a jump drive, many American 
businesses now find themselves less able to protect their important 
assets under current law.
  Senator Hatch knew we had to do something about this. He knew it was 
time to modernize our trade secret laws to keep pace with rapid 
advances in technology and in criminal techniques. He knew it was time 
to streamline and simplify the process for U.S. companies to 
effectively defend American jobs, American growth, and the American 
innovation that is increasingly at the heart of our modern economy. 
Senator Hatch worked across the aisle with Senator Coons to develop the 
Defend Trade Secrets Act. This bipartisan legislation eventually gained 
the cosponsorship of a majority of the Senate.
  This bipartisan legislation also passed the Judiciary Committee 
unanimously. That is impressive, and it wouldn't have happened without 
the able leadership of the chairman of that committee, Senator Grassley 
from Iowa. Since the new majority took office, Senator Grassley has 
been a highly effective legislator as chairman of the Judiciary 
Committee. From comprehensive legislation to address America's opioid 
epidemic, to protecting the victims of modern slavery, to today's 
effort to support American innovation, he has received widespread 
praise from both sides of the aisle for leading a very productive 
committee. Senator Grassley is a hard worker, and he is again winning 
kudos on this bill.
  The organization that represents America's tech sector said that 
``the committee's process has been very open and thoughtful.'' A broad 
cross section of American businesses wrote that ``the approach to the 
bill has been consensus-oriented.'' This, they said, ``led to broad and 
enthusiastic support from a wide range of American organizations and 
companies . . . representing the technology, medical device, 
agriculture, biotech, pharmaceutical, automobile, clean energy, 
consumer products and manufacturing sectors.''
  Here is what I say: Today's trade secret theft is high-tech. It is 
fast moving, and it threatens America's economy, America's jobs, and 
America's innovation.
  I ask that my colleagues join me this evening in voting to fight back 
on behalf of the American people. I ask them to join me in supporting 
the bipartisan Defend Trade Secrets Act.

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