Legislation News & Report (TM) 

TheWeekInCongress.com (TM)

Managing America: Courts

TheWeekInCongress.com (TM)

Week Ending February 16, 2006

H.R.34 To establish a pilot program in certain United States district courts to encourage enhancement of expertise in patent cases among district judges.

This reoccurring bill has yet to make it into law. The bill establishes a pilot program in a sampling of US district courts regarding the hearing of patent or ‘plant’ variety protection issues.

Under the program district judges who request to hear cases relating to one or more issues arising under and act of Congress relating to patents or plant variety protection and are assigned those cases by the chief judge may hear the cases. Judges who do not want to hear a case may decline the case and it will then be randomly assigned to another judge.

Six months after this bill is enacted no less than 5 US district courts in at least three judicial circuits will be designated by the Director of the Administrative Office of the US Courts to carry out the program. The selection will come from districts with the largest number of patent cases in the past calendar year and may only occur in a court where at least ten district judges are authorized to be appointed by the President and at least three judges have requested to handle the patent cases.

The program ends in ten years. The Director will report to Congress in about 6 years with some periodic reporting ordered.

Sponsor:  Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-CA-49^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote February 12, 2007.

Cost to the taxpayers: Authorized is not less than $5 million yearly for ten years.

Earmark Certification: Not applicable to this bill.

## All Rights Reserved. © 2007 TheWeekInCongress.com(TM)

No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.(TM)