Senators overwhelming voted in favor of ending debate on a controversial patent reform bill on Tuesday evening, paving the way for a vote on the matter.

Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye both voted in favor of taking up the so-called America Invents Act. Only five senators voted against ending debate, compared to 93 senators who voted in favor.

The Obama administration supports the act, which passed in the House earlier this year. Obama has said that overhauling the U.S. patent system will be a critical part of boosting job growth. 

Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, one of the act’s sponsors, said it will enable Americans to “unleash the genius.”

“We can no longer stand on a 1950s patent system and expect our innovators to flourish in a 21st-century world,” Leahy said in testimony on the Senate floor before the vote.