ACTION: The bipartisan Pro Codes Act would protect and preserve this proven approach, which has helped safeguard countless lives, created economic growth and saved billions of taxpayer dollars. 

For nearly 130 years, safety standards developed by independent nonprofit organizations have protected people and property. These safety standards have dramatically reduced dangers like fire incidents and deaths and helped our communities better prepare for threats like active shooters.

Independently developed standards are so valuable that government entities often choose to incorporate them by reference into laws and regulations. This is a clear public benefit. In fact, for decades, the federal government has directed federal entities to use voluntary consensus standards whenever possible to eliminate costs to government, improve efficiency, and promote long-term growth for U.S. enterprises.

But this time-tested system is under threat from special interests and for-profit companies who wrongly argue that standards incorporated by reference into laws forfeit their copyright protection. Copyright protection incentivizes innovation and supports standards development organizations, helping ensure the United States remains the world leader in safety.

Standards development organizations fund their work by publishing, selling, and licensing copyrighted standards to professionals who use them in the course of their business and licensees who make software and other business solutions that incorporate those standards.

Foreign actors and for-profit businesses that did nothing to contribute to the creation of standards are trying to profit by exploiting them. The result is that standards development organizations lose their funding sources from legitimate professionals and businesses – which means there are not funds to invest in updated standards, or the educational and research efforts they support.

The Pro Codes Act reaffirms that standards maintain their copyright protection when governments incorporate them by reference into laws and regulations. It also encourages greater transparency for the public, while protecting the ability of standards development nonprofits to continue their important work. Use the form to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support this critical piece of legislation today.