Protect America's Innovation Act

Summary#

This bill creates the "CCP Initiative" inside the Department of Justice's National Security Division. The Initiative is charged with countering nation-state threats and curbing alleged spying by the Chinese Communist Party on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions. It directs the Initiative to focus on trade secret theft, hacking, economic espionage, and nontraditional collectors such as researchers in labs, universities, and the defense industrial base. The Initiative must work with other agencies, including the FBI and the Department of the Treasury, to implement certain foreign investment review authorities and to investigate Chinese companies on the Commerce Department Entity List or identified as Chinese military companies. The DOJ must keep the Initiative separate from other DOJ nation-state programs, set aside dedicated resources, and provide an annual report to congressional committees. The law would expire six years after enactment.

What it means for you#

• The DOJ will have a dedicated unit focused on investigations and enforcement related to Chinese state economic threats.
• The Initiative will look into investments, research collaborations, and companies listed on the Entity List or identified as Chinese military companies.
• Federal agencies will be required to coordinate and share information with the Initiative.
• The Initiative will produce annual reports on its work, resources, coordination, and assessments such as unmanned aircraft use and economic loss from theft.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill frames the Initiative as a way to protect U.S. innovation and economic security by prioritizing prosecutions of trade secret theft, hacking, and economic espionage; by protecting critical infrastructure from risky foreign investment and supply chain compromise; and by improving coordination and reporting across agencies.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.