Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 12, 2010

Dear Madam Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed amendments to Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 proposals in my FY 2011 Budget for the Department of Commerce.

Included are amendments that would support efforts to reduce backlogs in processing patent applications by spurring innovation and reforming U.S. Patent and Trademark Office operations to make them more effective and assure the continuation of efforts to administer and oversee grants awarded under the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program.  The amounts requested for these amendments would be fully offset by a proposed cancellation of FY 2010 unobligated balances from within the Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau.  The proposed budget authority totals for FY 2010 in my FY 2011 Budget would not be affected by these amendments.

The details of this request are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA