S. 3960 · 118th Congress · enacted
A bill to amend title 35, United States Code, to provide a good faith exception to the imposition of fines for false assertions and certifications, and for other purposes.
Became Public Law No: 118-151.
Latest official action 2024-12-17 · Enacted
The bill, briefly
This bill creates a good faith exception to certain fines imposed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Currently, the USPTO may reduce patent-related fees for small and micro entities, and an entity that falsely claims a fee reduction shall be subject to a fine. This bill exempts an entity from such a fine if the entity made a good faith assertion or certification that the entity was entitled to a fee reduction.
Congressional Research Service · 2024-06-20
Who reported lobbying on this bill?
Amount spent specifically on this bill: not disclosed
The reports below name this bill and disclose an organization’s overall lobbying expenses or a firm’s client income for the period. They can cover many bills and issues. These amounts are not payments to the bill or its politicians.
No matching lobbying report is imported yet. This is not evidence that no lobbying occurred.
2,409 latest lobbying reports imported. Some source imports are still in progress.
Politicians behind the bill
Sponsors and cosponsors from the official source, limited to members currently in office. Campaign amounts are cycle-wide and are not payments for this bill.
Sponsor
Christopher A. Coons
Senate · DE · Democratic
$1,411,794PAC receipts · 2025–2026
Cosponsor
Thom Tillis
Senate · NC · Republican
$950,975PAC receipts · 2025–2026
1 of 1 source cosponsor records retrieved; only current officials and unwithdrawn sponsorships appear.
PAC donors to the listed sponsors
These are all-cycle contributions to the listed sponsors’ and cosponsors’ campaigns. FEC does not attribute them to this bill. A donation plus sponsorship does not establish why a politician acted.
AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION PAC (BANKPAC)$15,000
CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORP. ASSOC. POLITICAL FUND$15,000
COMCAST CORPORATION & NBCUNIVERSAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE - FEDERAL$15,000
EMPLOYEES OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION PAC$15,000
MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MORPAC)$15,000
WALMART INC. PAC FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT$15,000
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$14,500
U.S. BANCORP FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$14,500
GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GENERAL DYNAMICS EMPLOYEE PAC)$14,000
AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION PAC$12,500
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$12,500
BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION FEDERAL PAC$12,500
INTERDIGITAL, INC., PAC$12,500
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS--PAC OF AAOS$12,500
WELLS FARGO AND COMPANY EMPLOYEES GOOD GOVERNMENT FEDERAL FUND II$12,500
COUPANG, INC. COMPANY PAC (COUPAC)$11,000
THE PREMIER, INC. EMPLOYEES' CIVIC ACTION FUND$11,000
A NEW DIRECTION PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$10,000
ADVANCING DEMOCRACY AND MOBILIZATION PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordAFLAC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AFLAC PAC)$10,000
ALSOPAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN AIRLINES INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AAPAC)$10,000
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L E$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, AFL-CIO COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN LAND TITLE ASSOCIATION TITLE INDUSTRY PAC (TIPAC)$10,000
AMERICAN MOBILIZATION PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordAMERICAN SENIORS HOUSING ASSOCIATION (SENIORS HOUSING PAC)$10,000
BLUE WAVE PROJECT$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordBMI POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (BMI PAC)$10,000
COMMON GROUND PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordCSX CORPORATION GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND$10,000
DEFEND THE DREAM$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordENGINEERS POLITICAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE (EPEC)/INTERNATIONAL UNION OF OPERATING ENGINEERS$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordFOLLOW THE NORTH STAR FUND$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordFORWARD TOGETHER PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordGENERAL ATOMICS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordGENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY AEROSPACE EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GE AEROSPACE PAC)$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordGIDDY UP PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordGRANITE VALUES PAC$10,000
Christopher A. Coons · Sponsor · $10,000
Official PAC recordThe largest 40 donor totals appear here. Open each politician for their complete, paginated PAC donor list.
What happened after enactment?
Dated agency-reported implementation and uptake measures are shown with their scope. They do not by themselves establish causal success. If no evidence is listed, the outcome is not established.
Measured outcome: not established
Enactment alone does not show whether a law improved its intended outcome. We need a dated evaluation, observed result or verified implementation record before claiming success or failure.