Congressman Issa, Ross Introduce Legislation to Protect Public Access to Federal Rules
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) was joined by Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) and introduced the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act (Pro Codes Act), which would protect public access to important federal rules and regulations.
“Standards in federal rules and regulations matter, and never more so than when they are at the crossroads of streamlining public access or blocking it," said Rep. Issa. “The Pro Codes Act will ensure our standards remain transparent, accessible, and available.”
“The Pro Codes Act is important legislation that will bolster public access to information,” said Rep. Ross. “Ensuring the public can access the standards and rules they are expected to follow while also fairly compensating those who invest in code development is critical. I thank Congressman Issa for his leadership on this issue and look forward to working with him to pass this essential legislation.”
Rigorous safety standards protect lives and property and help foster economic growth. The Pro Codes Act protects the ability of organizations like ours to keep developing these critical standards through a proven, independent, consensus-based process at no cost to taxpayers. We’re extremely grateful for Chairman Issa and Representative Ross’ leadership on this issue and encourage others in Congress to join their efforts,” said Jim Pauley, President and CEO of the National Fire Protection Association.
As more codes get incorporated by reference into legal standards by courts, the Pro Codes Act will protect a code or standard’s incorporation by ensuring the copyright doesn’t extinguish. The bill ensures that the public retains free access to the information. Just as some online services have a free version of their product with limited functionality and a paid premium version with greater functionality, under this bill, those that invest in code development will still be able to sell the materials in certain formats so long as they are simultaneously providing access to the information for free.
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