“A bill to authorize the National Biotechnology Initiative, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines terms used in the Act, including "bioliteracy" (i.e., imbuing people, personnel, or teams with an understanding of and ability to engage with biology and biotechnology), "biological data," "biomanufacturing," "biotechnology," "Director of the National Biotechnology Coordination Office," "Initiative," "Interagency Committee," "Office," and "participating agency."
This section establishes the National Biotechnology Initiative, to be implemented by the President through the Executive Office of the President to advance national security, economic productivity, and competitiveness via coordinated federal biotechnology activities. Participating agencies include 14 specified entities—the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, the Interior, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Science Foundation; Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Office of the United States Trade Representative; and others as appropriate—and requires each agency head to address (1) a national biotechnology strategy, (2) national security implications, (3) research and development support, (4) biological data as a national resource, (5) private-sector commercialization, (6) regulatory streamlining, (7) biosafety and biosecurity, (8) domestic workforce development, (9) bioliteracy for policymakers and the public, (10) international partnerships, and (11) other activities as determined necessary.
This section establishes an interagency committee, to be designated by the President through the Executive Office of the President not later than 180 days after enactment, to oversee planning, management, and coordination of the National Biotechnology Initiative. The committee comprises one Assistant Secretary-level member from each participating agency; includes three co-chairpersons (the Director of the National Biotechnology Coordination Office and two members selected by the committee for staggered two-year terms, with one initial three-year term and no consecutive terms from the same department or agency); and requires members to support agency activities under the Initiative, share information, and communicate internally. This section also establishes in the Executive Office of the President the National Biotechnology Coordination Office (NBCO), with a director appointed by the President not later than 180 days after enactment to serve as the President's principal biotechnology advisor. The NBCO director may advise the Office of Management and Budget on agency biotechnology spending to avoid duplication, convene the interagency committee, coordinate federal regulation of biotechnology products, and hire staff or enter contracts as needed. NBCO functions include providing technical support to the committee; assessing Initiative gaps; coordinating employee fellowships, a public website, annual reports, and a national strategy; and addressing biotechnology-related national and economic security issues (e.g., counterintelligence and foreign investments).
This section authorizes the Director of the National Biotechnology Coordination Office, in consultation with the Interagency Committee, to convene experts to assess and inform activities of the Initiative as deemed appropriate. It exempts such convenings from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requirement that advisory committees terminate after two years unless renewed (5 U.S.C. 1013).
This section directs each head of a participating agency to conduct or support, in coordination with the Office and consistent with the agency's mission, specified activities to advance biotechnology across defense, human health, food and agriculture, energy, space, mining, environmental stewardship, and other sectors. These activities encompass five categories: (1) **Planning and coordination**, including designating an Assistant Secretary-level lead as liaison to the Initiative and Interagency Committee member (if not already designated); designating subcommittee members; coordinating agency biotechnology activities with the Office; implementing the national strategy to improve efficiency and reduce redundancy; providing biotechnology insights to other agencies and Congress; and leveraging horizon scanning for U.S. leadership. (2) **National security**, including analyzing foreign adversary biotechnology threats, investments, and supply chain risks; providing expertise on adversarial acquisitions; coordinating threat information sharing with foreign service officers and industry; and improving cybersecurity for biological data and biotechnology infrastructure. (3) **Research and development**, including sustained support for biotechnology R&D and innovation; joint agency funding solicitations for grants and research centers; developing instrumentation, infrastructure, and standard reference materials; and increasing understanding of biotechnology risks, benefits, ethical implications, and public impacts. (4) **Data and databases**, including sustained support for biological data, databases, and tools; establishing and maintaining genomics and omics databases (e.g., via a centralized access hub with privacy protections); developing data standards and computational tools, including artificial intelligence; and creating omics-based tools for monitoring and forecasts. (5) **Product commercialization**, including sustained support for private-sector translation and biomanufacturing; utilizing programs such as the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR)—which provide competitive grants to small businesses for high-risk R&D with commercialization potential (15 U.S.C. 638)—to support proof-of-concept and startups; accelerating scale-up and commercialization; facilitating public-private partnerships and testbed networks; providing retooling incentives for industrial sites; and offering access to advanced user facilities.