VotedBy VotedBy ⌕
Election Day · Tue, Nov 3See how your members of Congress voted →

H.R. 5418 · 109th Congress

To establish a pilot program in certain United States district courts to encourage enhancement of expertise…

Full title

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

Key: what the circles and colors mean

Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:

IntroducedPassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law (gold)Resolution agreed to (full, dark)Failed or vetoed (gray)

Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.

Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.

Passed the House without a recorded vote, then expired. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, which don't record how each member voted, but didn't become law before the 109th Congress ended.

DIR IssaSponsor
1 cosponsor · 1 D

1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

  1. House Introduced May 18, 2006
  2. House Passed Sep 28, 2006

Establishes a 10-year pilot program in certain U.S. district courts under which: (1) those district judges who request to hear cases involving patent or plant variety protection issues are designated by the chief judge to hear them; (2) such cases are randomly assigned to the district court judges, regardless of whether they are designated; (3) a judge not…

What it does: CRS summary · Passed House amended · Sep 28, 2006

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on September 21, 2006. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Establishes a 10-year pilot program in certain U.S. district courts under which: (1) those district judges who request to hear cases involving patent or plant variety protection issues are designated by the chief judge to hear them; (2) such cases are randomly assigned to the district court judges, regardless of whether they are designated; (3) a judge not designated to whom such a case is assigned may decline to accept the case; and (4) a case so declined is randomly reassigned to one of those judges so designated.

Requires the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to designate at least five U.S. district courts, in at least three different judicial circuits, to carry out the pilot program. Requires such courts to be among the 15 district courts in which the largest number of such cases were filed in the most recent calendar year. States that the Director may only designate a court in which: (1) at least 10 district judges are authorized for presidential appointment; and (2) at least three judges request such cases.

Requires periodic reports on the program to specified congressional committees.

Authorizes appropriations for: (1) educational and professional development of those district judges designated under this Act; and (2) compensation of law clerks with expertise in technical matters arising in patent and plant variety protection cases who are appointed to assist courts in such cases.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: To establish a pilot program in certain United States district courts to encourage enhancement of expertise in patent cases among district judges.

Latest action (Nov 13, 2006): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Policy area: Law · Origin: House · Introduced: May 18, 2006

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

  1. House Introduced May 18, 2006
  2. House Passed Sep 28, 2006

No recorded floor vote found.