PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
Congressional Research Service
Version 81 · Passed House without amendment · Jun 23, 2008
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Responsive Government Act of 2008 - Amends the federal judicial code to authorize the chief judge of a district or court of appeals to delay, toll, or otherwise grant relief from time deadlines applicable to pending civil and criminal cases in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency situation requiring the closure of courts or rendering it impracticable to comply with such deadlines.
Grants the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office authority to: (1) waive statutory provisions governing the filing, processing, renewal, and maintenance of patents, trademark registrations, and patent and trademark applications in certain emergencies; and (2) accept late application filings for patent extensions in certain cases of unintentional delay.
Prescribes filing fees for patent extensions, including: (1) $65 million for an anticoagulant drug intended for use in humans; and (2) a formula for other items.
People & committees
Rep. Delahunt, William D. [D-MA-10] · D–MA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5811-5812)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H5811-5812)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6344.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5811-5816)
Mr. Conyers moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.6344 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.6344 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.6344 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.6344 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.