Home Press Room Press Releases

Press Room

Jun 23 2011

Dr. Coburn Urges House to Reject Modified Patent Bill

Says House version does not end fee diversion

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today regarding the flawed patent reform bill, H.R. 1249, moving through the House of Representatives.

“For too long tomorrow’s inventions have been stymied by today’s incompetence in government. It is outrageous for Congress to take fees paid by Americans for a specific service and spend those dollars on other programs. Since 1992, Congress has pilfered nearly $1 billion in user fees dedicated to the Patent and Trademark Office and spent those dollars elsewhere. As a result, we have 700,000 patents waiting for a first review that, if approved, could help get our economy moving again,” Dr. Coburn said.

“The Senate voted to end this egregious practice by a margin of 95 to 5 when it passed legislation this March that included an amendment I offered to end fee diversion once and for all. The House, unfortunately, decided to water down this language and allow the Appropriations Committee to control this account. Unfortunately, the Appropriations Committee has a poor record of managing such accounts responsibly and honestly in this area and others. For instance, the Appropriations Committee has stolen billions from the Crime Victims’ Fund and other funds,” Dr. Coburn said. “There is no reason to believe they won’t continue to do the same with the patent account.”

###

Bookmark and Share


Date Title
5/16/13 Senators Coburn, Burr React to GAO Report on Hospital Payment Modification
5/15/13 IN LETTER TO PRESIDENT, SENATE REPUBLICANS DEMAND COMPLETE COOPERATION INTO IRS INVESTIGATION
5/15/13 Senators Coburn, Burr Introduce Bill to Prevent Unrealistic Medicaid FMAP
5/15/13 GAO Report Identifies Cost-Saving Strategies for Contracting for Services
5/14/13 Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn Highlight GAO Report on Data Center Consolidation Progress
5/7/13 Social Security Report Calls for Increased Attention to the Death Master File
5/6/13 GAO Report Outlines Improper Federal Employees’ Compensation Payments
5/1/13 GAO Report Describes Medicaid Improper Payments
Date Title
4/30/13 Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn Continue Oversight of Boston Bombings
4/24/13 Senators Coburn and Udall Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Duplication and Overlap of Federal Programs
4/23/13 Burr, Coburn, Thune Introduce Public Employee Pension Transparency Act
4/18/13 Dr. Coburn Criticizes the FAA’s Decision to Furlough Air Traffic Controllers Instead of Making Smart Cuts
4/17/13 Coburn and Upton Issue Statement on FDA Opioid Drug Application Ruling
4/16/13 New GAO Report Calls for Improved Reporting of the Effectiveness of Training Programs for Federal Acquisition Personnel
4/16/13 GOP Senators Release White Paper on Health IT, Cite Concerns
4/10/13 Dr. Coburn’s Statement on Manchin-Toomey Proposal
4/10/13 Coburn Statement on USPS Board of Governors Decision to Back Away From Modified Delivery
4/9/13 Senators Introduce the Comprehensive Student Loan Protection Act
4/9/13 Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn Highlight Report Detailing Potentially Duplicative Government Programs and Wasteful Spending
Date Title
3/28/13 HHS REPORT SHOWS TENS OF MILLIONS LOST TO MEDICARE OVERPAYMENTS
3/22/13 Dr. Coburn to Host Town Hall Meetings in Oklahoma
3/21/13 Coburn and Issa to USPS: Use Your Authority to Proceed with Modified Six-Day Delivery Plans
3/20/13 Senate Votes to Protect Wine Trains over White House Tours; Limits Political Science Grants
3/14/13 Dr. Coburn Asks Congress to Protect and Restore Access to the White House, the Flight 93 Memorial, Yellowstone and More by Accepting Administration-Backed Cuts
3/12/13 SENATORS JOHN MCCAIN AND TOM COBURN ON WASTEFUL SPENDING IN THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION