Andy Barr U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Andy Barr U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Washington, DC - Last week, U.S. Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06) joined several colleagues in sending a letter to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Kathi Vidal. The letter urges the Biden Administration to provide a full account of the national security damage caused by the Science and Technology Agreement (STA) between the United States and People's Republic of China (PRC).
The information requested includes the number of patents filed annually at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) since 2010 that were funded by the U.S. government and included a Chinese inventor, the technology classes for these inventions, which U.S. government agency funded these inventions, and the name of the Chinese entity that employed the Chinese inventor. Additionally, Representative Barr requests any affiliation of the inventors or their employer with the Chinese military or with any entity under U.S. export control laws, and whether Commerce is aware of any patents filed in China that replicate inventions applied for in the United States.
"We believe the U.S.-PRC STA is a vector to give the PRC access to U.S. dual-use research and presents a clear national security risk," said lawmakers. "The Biden Administration must stop fueling our own destruction and allow the STA to expire."
"Last year, the Select Committee on China requested that the Biden Administration let the STA expire, but it was renewed for a second time allowing the Chinese Communist Party to advance its military objectives and develop new technologies," said Congressman Andy Barr. "This weak approach of deterrence continues to compromise our national security, and it is our duty to protect our nation's sovereignty."
The letter was also signed by Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Michelle Steel (R-CA), and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL).
In August 2023, Congressman Barr introduced H.R. 5245, known as the Science and Technology Agreement Enhanced Congressional Notification Act of 2023. The legislation seeks to establish rigorous transparency and accountability in United States-PRC relations by enforcing congressional supervision on any scientific and technological partnership agreements between both nations. H.R. 5245 passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee with a vote of 50-0 in March 2024.
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