Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I first wanted to alert Senators that we will most likely be voting somewhere around 5:30. We are still working on an agreement about yielding back time, but I thought people would like to know that.

The other thing I wish to note is to first urge my colleagues to confirm the judges before us tonight, and then I wish also to briefly say a few words about the third vote we are going to be taking in this sequence.

AMERICA INVENTS ACT

In a few moments the Senate will take another important step toward passing the America Invents Act. This bipartisan bill will go a long way in ensuring our country remains the world leader in entrepreneurship, research, and development and, of course, innovation.

Over the course of last week, every Senator had an opportunity to come to the floor and weigh in on this bill with amendments. We made a lot of progress, and as a result I am pleased to say we have a bill that is even better than the one we started with, a truly bipartisan product which will bring our patent system into the 21st century. If passed, this legislation will make the first comprehensive set of reforms to our Nation's patent process in almost 60 years. Sixty years.

A lot has changed since then. The America Invents Act will create a legal framework that reflects current technology and a climate in which innovation can flourish. In doing so, it will unleash the power of our Nation's single most precious resource, the ingenuity of our people. I point out that it will do it without adding a penny to our deficit.

An improved patent process will spark the kind of job creation and business growth our economy needs right now. I know you know that in Delaware--and we certainly know it in Minnesota. Those are not Democratic priorities--the priorities of competitiveness and innovation--and they are not Republican priorities, they are American priorities.

I urge all Senators to support the motion so we can move forward with this important legislation. I thank Senator Grassley for all his work on this bill and Senator Leahy as well, and all the rest of the Judiciary Committee.

I yield the floor, and we will soon have an update on whether we can yield back the time to start the votes at 5:30.

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