U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) reintroduced legislation to enhance public access to universal safety standards and protect the rights of standards development organizations.
Introduce and support legislation to improve public access to safety standards and protect the rights of standards development organizations.
Occurrences
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) today reintroduced legislation to enhance public access to universal safety standards and codes. The Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act of 2026 ensures safety standards do not lose copyright protection when they are incorporated into law by name so long as they are accessible for free on a publicly available website. ... I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will make the public safer by ensuring non-profits know they can develop better standards without fear of losing them.
Evidence
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On March 20, 2026, Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) reintroduced the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act of 2026. This bipartisan legislation aims to ensure that safety standards do not lose copyright protection when incorporated into law by name, provided they are accessible for free on a publicly available website.
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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) praised the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act (S. 4145) in the U.S. Senate. The legislation was introduced by Senators Coons and Cornyn and co-sponsored by Senators Tillis and Hirono.
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Bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting the integrity of safety standards was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act (S. 4145) was introduced by Senators Chris Coons, John Cornyn, with co-sponsorship from Senators Thom Tillis and Mazie Hirono.
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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has praised the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act (S. 4145) in the US Senate. The legislation was introduced by Senators Coons and Cornyn and co-sponsored by Senators Tillis and Hirono.
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Public Knowledge, along with 22 other organizations, continues to warn that restricting access to laws governing safety and fire standards will imperil the safety of ordinary Americans and drive up costs for basic access to the law.
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GovInfo lists S. 4145 in the 119th Congress, sponsored by Christopher A. Coons with Cornyn, Hirono, and Tillis as cosponsors. The listed action is that Coons introduced the bill on March 19, 2026 and it was read twice and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee; the last action date shown is March 19, 2026.
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The introduced bill text states that S. 4145 would amend title 17 for works incorporated by reference into law. It defines standards and standards development organizations, requires incorporated standards to be publicly accessible online at no monetary cost, and provides that copyright protection is retained when those access requirements are met.
Assessments
The promise was to introduce and support legislation, not necessarily to secure enactment. In the same federal Senate term, Coons was the sponsor of S. 4145, the Pro Codes Act of 2026, and publicly announced support for it. The bill text matches the promised subject by requiring free public online access to incorporated safety standards while preserving copyright protection for standards development organizations. The bill has not advanced beyond referral to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but that does not defeat this specific promise because introduction and support were the promised actions.
Senator Coons introduced and supported the Pro Codes Act, directly addressing both improved public access to safety standards and protecting standards development organizations' rights. Multiple credible sources confirm introduction and intent, but there is no evidence the legislation was enacted. Thus, the promise was attempted but not fully delivered.