PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 30, 2020
Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement Act of 2020 or the IDEA Act
This bill requires the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to request demographic information from the inventor on each patent application submitted to the USPTO.
Inventors shall not be required to provide the requested information, which shall include gender, race, and military or veteran status.
The USPTO shall (1) publish an annual public report about the collected data, including the collected data broken down by the types of technology covered by the patent applications; and (2) make the underlying data publicly available.
People & committees
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] · D–HI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze S.4394 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.
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