CongressDaily's AM Edition on Wednesday reports that the Patent and Trademark Office is asking Congress to help stabilize the agency, which is facing a substantial decrease in the number of patent applications filed. Acting Director John Doll broke the news to employees in a Tuesday memo. The agency, which is funded through fees collected from its users, this week suspended overtime pay for patent examiners and this year instituted a hiring freeze. All of this has been done with an eye toward avoiding furloughs. "We're now putting forward a number of different options to bridge any possible gaps, and we'll also be soliciting ideas from members of Congress," Doll wrote, acknowledging that in the recession, fee collection could continue to decline. With the support of Commerce Secretary Locke, the PTO is seeking additional cost reduction measures that would save an additional $20 million in FY09, he said. Click here to read the story (subscription required), which details some of the options floated to aides for key lawmakers. The Senate Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to consider the FY10 appropriations bill, which funds the PTO, later today.