Senators Coons, Cornyn, colleagues introduce Pro Codes Act to protect and improve access to safety standards

WILMINGTON, Del. - 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.

"People across Delaware are protected from electrical and fire hazards because of standards developed by experts in the field," said Senator Coons."When those standards are excellent, they should become universal, but that shouldn't mean a penalty for the non-profit organizations that developed them and stand to lose their intellectual property. 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."

"For years, experts developed safety standards that protect Americans from fires and electrical hazards, and it is crucial that these organizations can maintain their copyright protections while making these guidelines available to the public for free," said Senator Cornyn."This legislation protects copyrights while allowing these groups to provide these often life-saving safety procedures at no cost to the taxpayer."

"I am proud to cosponsor this legislation to strike an important balance between respecting intellectual property rights and ensuring that the building, fire, electric, and other standards that keep our communities safe remain accessible, transparent, and up-to-date," said Senator Hirono.

"I'm proud to support the Pro Codes Act because it protects a commonsense system that keeps Americans safe without costing taxpayers a dime," said Senator Tillis. "By preserving copyright for standards developers while ensuring free public access to the law, this legislation strikes the right balance between transparency, innovation, and public safety."

"From wildfires to EV batteries, the safety challenges facing our communities are evolving faster than ever - and the independent standards development system that helps meet these demands is under serious threat. We're grateful to Sens. Coons, Cornyn, Hirono, and Tillis for introducing the Pro Codes Act to protect the copyrights essential to keeping that system strong," said Jim Pauley, President and CEO of the National Fire Protection Association.

"Standards development organizations work tirelessly to enhance community resilience and protect the health and safety of communities around the world through the development of life safety codes and standards," said John Belcik, Chief Executive Officer at the International Code Council. "Our standards development system costs taxpayers nothing and has worked efficiently for over 125 years. Advancing the Pro Codes Act is essential to protecting this transparent and balanced system, the value of which is recognized across the United States. ICC applauds Senators Cornyn and Coons for their leadership in introducing the Pro Codes Act and looks forward to working with them to see this measure enacted into law."

"The Pro Codes Act will help preserve the effective system relied on by governmental bodies and standards development organizations in a public private partnership that has promoted public safety and facilitated commerce for more than a century. Without effective copyright protections, there is grave risk that these organizations will no longer be able to produce the high-quality codes and standards that the public and lawmakers have come to rely on. The Pro Codes Act makes clear that these codes and standards retain their copyright protection if they are made publicly available once they are incorporated by reference. The Pro Codes Act is a clear win for public safety, transparency, and economic growth. We encourage members of the Senate to support and swiftly pass the bill," said Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid.

"Consensus-based standards developed by organizations like ASHRAE are essential to protecting public health, safety and sustainability in the built environment. The ANSI process ensures that all relevant stakeholders have balanced input into the process. ASHRAE supports this legislation, which ensures standards development organizations can continue their work while maintaining public access when standards are incorporated into law," said ASHRAE President Bill McQuade

A one-pager on the Pro Code Act is available here.

Read the full text of the Pro Codes Act here.