Election Season Brings Issues into Focus

Mike Waring
AUTM Advocacy and Alliances Coordinator




As we enter the fall of 2024, all eyes will be on the November 5 elections.  The nation is poised to elect a new President, a new Congress and many local leaders as well.

Congress will return briefly in September to extend federal funding for a few months until after the elections. There may be some activity on issues of interest to tech transfer – including a possible markup in the Senate Judiciary Committee on bills related to patents that AUTM supports. There also may be some action on the Invent Here, Make Here legislation that deals with trade with China and inventions being approved for manufacture overseas.

The candidates in your state and region will then spend most of October wandering their districts and states, seeking support among voters. The two parties appear close in terms of both the national presidential race as well as overall control of the U.S. Senate and House.  

Your opportunities to engage with local politicians are high this time of year. Candidates may hold forums or rallies. Fund-raisers will be everywhere. If you are participating in any of these activities, you may have a chance to speak with a candidate directly about issues and to urge that candidate to support strong patents and strong tech transfer. 

Fortunately, tech transfer issues generally have not fallen along party lines. We have seen politicians from both sides of the aisle vote with us and against us. Thus, the need to educate all members of Congress is paramount for our success long-term.

As always, any political activity you undertake must not be perceived as the activity of your university or employer, which usually has strict limits against campaigning on its time or using its resources. But as a citizen, you retain the right to voice your concerns and to work on behalf of a candidate you support.

The reason AUTM advocacy overall is a key aspect of the association’s work is because decisions made in Washington by Congress, the courts, federal research agencies and the White House have a potentially huge impact on tech transfer’s ability to achieve its goals. The current pending decision on a possible change in the framework for how march-in rights can be exercised by federal agencies is a perfect example of the importance of voicing our collective views. AUTM and most of its members have made it very clear that expanding the factors for march-in to includer ”reasonable pricing” of the ultimate product or technology would be a disaster. The fact that here – seven months later – there has still been no final decision is a clear indication that the voices of AUTM and other allied groups in opposition to this proposed framework have had an impact. Let’s hope it stays that way.

A final thought. As we approach the November election, there is nothing more important than for all of us to vote. As a lobbyist, I have seen lawmakers up close for years. And while lobbyists can get attention to their views on issues, it is a lawmaker’s constituents that hold the most sway.  

However one views the issues or the candidates, the power to elect those with whom we agree is the most sacred right we have as Americans. Examples of other countries where voting is a sham contest that is pre-determined or where strongman leaders deny the power of the people are legion. Our responsibility as citizens is to cast our ballot and work for the issues we believe will make our nation stronger economically.