The following is a sample of the chronological log (23 July ” 22 August) of public policy communications made by or on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers–United States of America (IEEE-USA),and other organizational units within IEEE, during the 113th Congress, 1st Session (2013), including testimonies, statements submitted for the record of congressional hearings, formal comments provided in response to public or regulatory notices, letters to Federal policy makers forwarding recommendations on public policy issues, and Legislative Alerts and similar notices of related government relations activities. Current Action Alerts can be accessed by IEEE members via IEEE-USA’s Legislative Action Center.
- 27 September: STEM Coalition letter to Congress urging federal support for STEM-related afterschool and summer learning programs
- 26 September: Letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman to express concern that temporary “visa programs may be used to alter a fundamental goal of America’s immigration laws”
- 18 September: Coalition letter to leadership of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees opposing legislative proposals to broaden “Covered Business Method Patent” reviews.
- 12 September: Letter to U.S. Senators urging adoption of the Gillibrand Amendment (860) to the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act. (S. 1382) enabling use of FEMA Recovery Funds to procure more energy efficient replacement equipment
- 22 August: IEEE Boston Section letter to the Massachusetts State Senate President calling for Repeal of Massachusetts Computer Service Tax.
- 29 July: Coalition letter to OSTP recommending a separate Public Access Plan for Scientific Data.
- 23 July: Letter to all members of Congress circulating IEEE-USA’s 2013 National Energy Policy Recommendations.
Board Approved Petitions Statements
IEEE-USA position statements identify important technical and/or engineering career-related aspects of specific public policy issues deemed to be of concern or affecting IEEE’s U.S. members. They make specific public policy recommendations and provide recommended approaches for consideration by the U.S. Congress, executive branch officials, the judiciary, representatives of state and local government, and other interested groups and individuals, including IEEE members.
Following is a sampling of IEEE-USA position statements:
- Multiple Patent Claim Forms (Aug. 2013) – IEEE-USA calls on Congress to amend the patent statutes, to ensure that patent applicants who must use multiple claim forms to protect their inventions are not penalized
- University Intellectual Property Policy Guidelines (Aug. 2013) – IEEE-USA recommend guidelines in developing policies and procedures on intellectual property (IP) developed by faculty, staff and students of universities and colleges.
Go to https://ieeeusa.org/public-policy/positions/ to read these and other Position Statements.
