Pro Codes Act of 2026

This bill, known as the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act of 2026, adds a new section to the U.S. Copyright Code to address standards that are incorporated by reference into federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The legislation requires standards development organizations to make these incorporated standards freely available online at no cost to the public, including searchable tables of contents and indexes, while still protecting the organizations' copyright rights. The bill defines key terms such as "incorporated by reference" and "standards development organization" to clarify which materials fall under these requirements. It also establishes that copyright protection for these standards continues even after they are referenced in laws, provided the organization makes them publicly accessible online within a reasonable time of being notified about the incorporation. The measure aims to balance public access to technical standards used in regulations with the ability of standards organizations to fund their work through licensing and sales.