Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017
Public Law 115-259 · S. 791 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Oct 9, 2018 · Commerce
Sponsor: Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. James Risch
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017
(Sec. 4) This bill directs the Small Business Administration to develop partnership agreements that provide for:
• development of high-quality training for small businesses related to domestic and international protection of intellectual property,
• leveraging of training materials already developed for the education of inventors and small businesses, and
• participation of a nongovernmental organization.
These agreements must also provide training:
• through electronic resources, including Internet-based webinars; and
• at physical locations, including a small business development center (SBDC) and the headquarters or a regional office of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
(Sec. 5) The bill amends the Small Business Act to require services at an SBDC to include training, in person or through a website, relating to:
• domestic and international intellectual property protections, and
• how those protections should be considered in the business plans and growth strategies of small businesses.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
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.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2655Related bill
Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017
H.R. 4319Related bill
Fairness to Veterans for Infrastructure Investment Act of 2017
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Dec 19, 2018FloorFloor · By Senator Risch from Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship filed written report. Report No. 115-435.
- Oct 9, 2018Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 115-259.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 28, 2018FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 25, 2018FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 791.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Chabot moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 19, 2018FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Jul 18, 2018FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Mar 19, 2018CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 347.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Reported by Senator Risch without amendment. Without written report.
- Mar 14, 2018CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Mar 30, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
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.
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.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.