S. 440: PACED Act
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S. 440: PACED Act
116th Congress · introduced 2019-02-12 · Commerce · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 129.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-02-12 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 129. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
PACED Act
Plain summary
Preserving Access to Cost Effective Drugs Act or the PACED Act This bill prohibits patent owners from asserting tribal sovereign immunity as a defense in certain proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including patent validity challenge proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The prohibition also applies to court actions and proceedings before the International Trade Commission. Sovereign immunity for foreign states shall apply in the PTAB as it applies in federal court. The abrogation of sovereign immunity shall not apply to states or institutions of higher education (i.e., public state universities and institutions).
Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
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The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
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Arguments against (opponents)
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] · 2 cosponsors
Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 440, PACED Act (2019-07-19)
Cosponsors on this site
Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] reported raising $7.1 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (1)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s440.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>
Record fed-us-cong116-s440 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116