A bill to authorize appropriations for the Patent and Trademark Office in the Department of Commerce, and for other purposes.
Public Law 99-607 · H.R. 2434 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 6, 1986 · Commerce
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D-WI-2)
Cosponsors (10): Rep. Carlos Moorhead, Rep. Jack Brooks,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Authorizes appropriations for the Patent and Trademark Office for FY 1986 through 1988. Reduces patent fees for independent inventors, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses. States that appropriations may remain available until expended.
Prohibits the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks from increasing certain trademark and patent fees during FY 1986 through 1988 except to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. Requires the Commissioner to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees annually on the collection and use of patent fees.
Prohibits the Commissioner from imposing fees for the use of public patent or trademark searching facilities.
Requires the Commissioner to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on the revised master automation plan and before the implementation of each key deployment decision. Prohibits the implementation of such decision before the expiration of the notice period.
Prohibits the Commissioner from exchanging automatic data processing resources during such years, except as specified.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Intellectual Property Subcommittee
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Nov 6, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-607.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 27, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 18, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment to Senate amendment nos. 2, 3, 6, and 7 by Voice Vote.
- Oct 2, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Concurred, in Senate Amendments 002, 003, 006, 007 , with Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments 001, 004, 005, 008, 009, 010, 011 by Unanimous Consent.
- Jun 6, 1986FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- May 20, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Feb 20, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Feb 7, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jul 23, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jul 12, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 25, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 24, 1985FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- May 15, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- May 8, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.