Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017

Summary: Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017 (Sec. 2) This bill amends federal copyright law to require the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint a Register of Copyrights from a list of at least three individuals recommended by a panel composed of:  the Speaker of the House of Representatives;  the President pro tempore of the Senate; the majority and minority leaders of the House and the Senate; and  the Librarian of Congress.  (Currently, the Register of Copyrights is appointed by the Librarian of Congress.) To be eligible for appointment, the individual must be a citizen of the United States with a professional background and experience in copyright law and must be capable of identifying and supervising a chief information officer responsible for managing modern information technology systems. The bill limits the term of office for the Register of Copyrights to 10 years, but the individual may be reappointed subject to the same requirements established in this bill. The President may remove the Register of Copyrights from office and must notify both chambers of Congress of any such removal.  (Sec. 3) Nothing in this bill may be construed to impact the mandatory deposit requirements under which owners of a copyright or of an exclusive right of publication must deposit in the U.S. Copyright Office two copies or phonorecords of works published in the United States for the use or disposition of the Library of Congress.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Register of Copyrights Selection and 
Accountability Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. REGISTER OF COPYRIGHTS.

    (a) Amendments.--Section 701 of title 17, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``(a) All administrative'' and 
                inserting the following:
    ``(a) Register and Director.--
            ``(1) In general.--All administrative'';
                    (B) by striking ``director'' and inserting 
                ``Director'';
                    (C) by inserting after the first sentence the 
                following: ``The Register of Copyrights shall be a 
                citizen of the United States with a professional 
                background and experience in copyright law, shall be 
                capable of identifying and supervising a Chief 
                Information Officer or other similar official 
                responsible for managing modern information technology 
                systems, and shall be appointed by the President from 
                the individuals recommended under paragraph (6), by and 
                with the advice and consent of the Senate.''; and
                    (D) in the last sentence, by striking ``shall be 
                appointed'' and all that follows through ``and shall 
                act'' and inserting ``shall act'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
        through (5) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively, and 
        adjusting the margins accordingly;
            (3) by redesignating subsection (b) as paragraph (2), and 
        adjusting the margins accordingly;
            (4) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``Duties.--'' before ``In addition'';
            (5) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Oath.--The Register of Copyrights shall, before 
        taking office, take an oath to discharge faithfully the duties 
        of the Copyright Office described in paragraph (2).
            ``(4) Removal.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Register of Copyrights may 
                be removed from office by the President.
                    ``(B) Notification.--The President shall provide 
                notification to both Houses of Congress of a removal 
                under subparagraph (A).
            ``(5) Term of office.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                Register of Copyrights--
                            ``(i) shall be appointed for a term of 10 
                        years; and
                            ``(ii) may serve until a successor is 
                        appointed, confirmed, and taken the oath of 
                        office.
                    ``(B) Limitation.--The Register of Copyrights may 
                not continue to serve after the date on which Congress 
                adjourns sine die after the date on which the 10-year 
                period described in subparagraph (A)(i) ends.
                    ``(C) Reappointment.--An individual appointed to 
                the position of Register of Copyrights, by and with the 
                advice and consent of the Senate, may be reappointed to 
                that position in accordance with the requirements of 
                this section.
            ``(6) Panel for register of copyrights recommendations.--
        There is established a panel to recommend a list of at least 3 
        individuals to the President for appointment as the Register of 
        Copyrights. The panel shall be composed of the following:
                    ``(A) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
                    ``(B) The President pro tempore of the Senate.
                    ``(C) The majority and minority leaders of the 
                House of Representatives and the Senate.
                    ``(D) The Librarian of Congress.'';
            (6) by redesignating subsections (c) through (f) as 
        subsections (b) through (e), respectively;
            (7) in subsection (b), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``Seal.--'' before ``The Register'';
            (8) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``Annual Report.--'' before ``The Register'';
            (9) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``Applicability of Title 5.--'' before ``Except as provided''; 
        and
            (10) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``Compensation.--'' before ``The Register''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to any vacancy for the Register of Copyrights after 
January 1, 2017. If a Register of Copyrights is appointed during the 
period beginning on January 1, 2017 and ending on the day before the 
date of the enactment of this Act, that Register shall meet the 
requirements of the amendments made by this Act or shall be replaced in 
accordance with such amendments.

SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act may be construed to impact the mandatory 
deposit requirements in title 17, United States Code.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 26, 2017.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.