Collins Bill to Protect American Jobs, Innovation, Passes House

Statement

Today, the House of Representatives passed S. 1890, the Defend Trade Secrets Act. Congressman Collins, who introduced the House version of the legislation, made the following statement after the vote:

"The United States is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world, and the lifeblood of many of those businesses are their trade secrets. However, that success has made American businesses a target for trade secret theft to the tune of billions of dollars each year. This theft--by foreign and domestic actors--threatens American jobs and economic security, and discourages investment. This bill will provide a uniform federal civil remedy for trade secret misuse or misappropriation, to establish protections similar to those for other forms of intellectual property."

"This legislation--which has broad bipartisan support--is critical to protecting American intellectual property and the associated jobs and economic benefits. Current federal law is insufficient to address this problem, but the Defend Trade Secrets Act takes steps to fix that. I thank Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers, and Reps. Nadler and Jeffries for their support and leadership on this bill, and applaud Senators Hatch and Coons for their tireless efforts in the Senate to move this bill forward. With today's vote, this bill will go to the President's desk and meaningful measures to protect American innovation and competitiveness will be enacted."

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