H.R. 8697: Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022

117th Congress · introduced 2022-08-09 · Commerce · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2022-08-09 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022

Plain summary

Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022 This bill modifies the responsibilities of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) satellite offices, increases the discount on patent-related fees for small and micro entities, and addresses related issues. Specifically, the bill modifies the statutory purpose of PTO satellite offices to include outreach and retention activities targeting underrepresented groups and individuals from economically, geographically, and demographically diverse backgrounds. For each satellite office established after July 1, 2022, the PTO must consider the office's proximity to anchor institutions (e.g., hospitals primarily serving veterans and institutions of higher education) and populations that are underrepresented in patent filings, including women, people of color, and rural populations. The PTO must establish (1) a satellite office in the southeastern United States within three years of this bill's enactment, (2) at least four community outreach offices throughout the United States within five years of this bill's enactment, and (3) a pilot program to help prospective first-time patent applicants assess the likelihood that a potential patent will be issued. The PTO must also (1) conduct and report to Congress a study on patent pro bono programs, including whether such programs are sufficiently serving underrepresented groups; and (2) use the study's findings to update such pro bono programs. In addition to increasing the discount on fees for small and micro entities, the bill also imposes penalties for making a fraudulent certification to obtain the discount, specifically by revoking any patent resulting from an application related to the fraudulent certification.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Nancy Mace (R-SC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] reported raising $2.0 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 (2)

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).
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr8697.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr8697 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117