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To establish the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and for other purposes.

Public Law 113-227 · H.R. 5108 · 113th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 16, 2014 · Law

Sponsor: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Steve Chabot

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 327 yea, 22 nay327–22
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Establishes the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to allow students enrolled in a participating law school's clinic to practice patent and trademark law before the USPTO on a pro-bono basis for clients that qualify for assistance from the law school's clinic.

Requires the USPTO Director to establish regulations and procedures for application to and participation in such program. Makes all law schools accredited by the American Bar Association eligible to participate in the program after being examined for acceptance using identical criteria.

Provides for the program to be in effect for the 10-year period after enactment of this Act.

Requires the Director, within two years after enactment of this Act, to report to Congress regarding the work done through the program and the number of participating law schools and students.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 113th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 327 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

327 yea22 nay82 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(154)

Republicans who voted yea(173)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1135 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred to
Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.

  1. Dec 16, 2014Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-227.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 9, 2014FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 8, 2014FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Dec 4, 2014FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Sep 16, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  8. Sep 15, 2014FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 327 - 22 (Roll no. 497).House roll call 497
  9. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  11. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5108.
  13. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  14. FloorFloor · Mr. Chabot moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  15. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 435.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 113-588.
  17. Sep 10, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  19. Sep 9, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Discharged.
  20. Jul 16, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
  21. Jul 15, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  22. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.