consent agreement for H.R.1249

The Senate has entered into a unanimous consent agreement providing for up to 4 roll call votes at approximately 4:00pm during Thursday's session of the Senate including passage of H.R.1249, the America Invents Act, as amended, if amended and an additional roll call vote following the Joint Session on Thursday.

The details of the agreement are below.

The following amendments are the only first degree amendments in order to H.R.1249:

Coburn #599 (PTO public enterprise fund);

Sessions #600(strike Section 37 regarding patent term extensions); and

Cantwell #595 (transitional program for covered business method patents).

There will be up to five hours of debate on the amendments divided in the following manner:

75 minutes for Senator Coburn, or his designee;

1 hour for Senator Sessions, or his designee;

45 minutes for Senator Cantwell, or her designee;

1 hour for Senator Grassley, or his designee; and

1 hour for Senator Leahy, or his designee.

Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 4:00pm), the Senate will proceed to votes in relation to the amendments in the following order:

Sessions #600

Cantwell #595

Coburn #599 and

Passage of H.R.1249, as amended, if amended

No amendments, points of order or motions will be in order to any of the amendments prior to the votes.

Senator Reid also announced Senators should expect an additional roll call vote after the Joint Session on Thursday on the motion to proceed to Calendar #153, S.J.Res.25, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the President's exercise of authority to increase the debt limit (McConnell and others).