Title: Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017
This bill amends federal copyright law to require the Register of Copyrights to be a U.S. citizen with a professional background and experience in copyright law who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. (Currently, the Register of Copyrights is appointed by the Librarian of Congress.)
The term of office for the Register of Copyrights is limited to 10 years, but the individual may be reappointed subject to the same Senate advice and consent requirement.
The President may remove the Register of Copyrights from office and must notify both chambers of Congress of any such removal.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1695 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1695

     To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide additional 
    responsibilities for the Register of Copyrights, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2017

  Mr. Goodlatte (for himself, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Bass, Mr. Biggs, Mrs. 
   Blackburn, Mr. Buck, Mr. Chabot, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Mr. 
   Cicilline, Mr. Collins of Georgia, Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Deutch, Mr. 
 Farenthold, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Gowdy, 
Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, Mr. 
Jordan, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Labrador, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. 
  Marino, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Poe of Texas, Mr. Ratcliffe, Mrs. Roby, Mr. 
 Sensenbrenner, and Mr. Smith of Texas) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide additional 
    responsibilities for the Register of Copyrights, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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 and shall be 
                appointed by the President, 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) 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.
                                 <all>