United States Patent and Trademark Office

United States Patent and Trademark Office salaries and expenses (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provided for by law, including defense of suits instituted against the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, $4,253,404,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the sum herein appropriated from the general fund shall be reduced as offsetting collections of fees and surcharges assessed and collected by the USPTO under any law are received during fiscal year 2023, so as to result in a fiscal year 2023 appropriation from the general fund estimated at $0: Provided further, That during fiscal year 2023, should the total amount of such offsetting collections be less than $4,253,404,000, this amount shall be reduced accordingly: Provided further, That any amount received in excess of $4,253,404,000 in fiscal year 2023 and deposited in the Patent and Trademark Fee Reserve Fund shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That the Director of USPTO shall submit a spending plan to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate for any amounts made available by the preceding proviso and such spending plan shall be treated as a reprogramming under section 505 of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section: Provided further, That any amounts reprogrammed in accordance with the preceding proviso shall be transferred to the United States Patent and Trademark Office “Salaries and Expenses” account: Provided further, That the budget of the President submitted for fiscal year 2024 under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, shall include within amounts provided under this heading for necessary expenses of the USPTO any increases that are expected to result from an increase promulgated through rule or regulation in offsetting collections of fees and surcharges assessed and collected by the USPTO under any law in either fiscal year 2023 or fiscal year 2024: Provided further, That from amounts provided herein, not to exceed $13,500 shall be made available in fiscal year 2023 for official reception and representation expenses: Provided further, That in fiscal year 2023 from the amounts made available for “Salaries and Expenses” for the USPTO, the amounts necessary to pay (1) the difference between the percentage of basic pay contributed by the USPTO and employees under section 8334(a) of title 5, United States Code, and the normal cost percentage (as defined by section 8331(17) of that title) as provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for USPTO’s specific use, of basic pay, of employees subject to subchapter III of chapter 83 of that title, and (2) the present value of the otherwise unfunded accruing costs, as determined by OPM for USPTO’s specific use of post-retirement life insurance and post-retirement health benefits coverage for all USPTO employees who are enrolled in Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), shall be transferred to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, the FEGLI Fund, and the Employees FEHB Fund, as appropriate, and shall be available for the authorized purposes 136 STAT. 4515 of those accounts: Provided further, That any differences between the present value factors published in OPM’s yearly 300 series benefit letters and the factors that OPM provides for USPTO’s specific use shall be recognized as an imputed cost on USPTO’s financial statements, where applicable: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, all fees and surcharges assessed and collected by USPTO are available for USPTO only pursuant to section 42(c) of title 35, United States Code, as amended by section 22 of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Public Law 112–29): Provided further, That within the amounts appropriated, $2,450,000 shall be transferred to the “Office of Inspector General” account for activities associated with carrying out investigations and audits related to the USPTO.