Organizations Warn Fast-Track of Bill to Separate Copyright Office from Library of Congress Would Be a ‘Grave Mistake’

Spurred by reports that House leaders are trying to fast-track a bill to separate the U.S. Copyright Office from the Library of Congress, a coalition of consumer rights, industry, open internet and library groups has again sent a letter to the House Committee on Administration urging it to consider the bill on the regular timeline to avoid “unintended consequences.” A full committee markup of the bill is scheduled for tomorrow, March 18,

H.R. 6028, the Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act, would change the procedures for appointing and removing the Librarian of Congress, the Director of the Government Publishing Office (GPO), and the Register of Copyrights. Instead of being appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the Librarian and Director of the GPO would be appointed by a “bipartisan congressional commission” and could only be removed from office by a majority vote of the majority and minority leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The bill would also remove the Library of Congress’s (LOC’s) supervisory authority over the Copyright Office and require the Register of Copyrights to be: “(1) a U.S. citizen with a background and experience in copyright law, and (2) appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate,” instead of being appointed by the Librarian. The Copyright Register’s term of office would also be limited to 10 years, with the possibility of reappointment.

Re:Create first sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and the House Administration Committee on December 11, 2025, urging Committee Members to slow their consideration of the bill, citing reports that “the House is considering swift passage…possibly on the suspension calendar or through other expedient means.”

In the latest letter, Re:Create, joined by seven other organizations, said that “[s]ince we first raised these concerns in December 2025, there have been no hearings on the bill in this committee or any committee of jurisdiction. It is no more ripe for swift passage now than it was then.”

The letter’s authors warned that separating the Library and Copyright Office could threaten the Copyright Office’s ability to maintain the registration system and “provide unbiased policy guidance on copyright and related issues….” The groups added: “It would be a grave mistake to take such dramatic action outside of regular order.”

The Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act was introduced by Representative H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) at the same time a lawsuit brought by Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter is pending in district court and an appeal to that suit by the Trump Administration is on hold at the Supreme Court.

A split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in September that Perlmutter can resume office while her lawsuit plays out, following President Donald Trump’s decision to remove her from her post.

Perlmutter filed a complaint against Trump on May 22, calling his attempt to remove her “unlawful and ineffective.” Trump first fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on May 9, two days before he fired Perlmutter, and named Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, Todd Blanche, as acting Librarian of Congress. Perlmutter’s complaint charged that the President “has no authority to name a temporary replacement Librarian of Congress, much less name a high-ranking DOJ official whose presence offends the constitutional separation of powers.”