HR2756-119

What This Bill Does

The National Biotechnology Initiative Act turns biotechnology coordination into a standing federal initiative. It names participating agencies including Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, HHS, Homeland Security, Interior, State, EPA, NASA, NSF, ODNI, and USTR. It creates a National Biotechnology Coordination Office in the Executive Office of the President within 180 days, led by a presidentially appointed director, and uses an interagency committee of Assistant Secretary-level agency representatives. The Office must coordinate strategy, spending, biological data policy, biosecurity, regulatory pathways, workforce development, commercialization, international partnerships, a public website, annual reports, five-year national strategies, and GAO reviews. NSF is authorized $22 million for FY2026, $35 million for FY2027, and $25 million for each of FY2028 through FY2030 to support the Office.

Who Benefits and How

Biotechnology companies benefit from coordinated regulatory pathways, commercialization support, testbeds, and market-access diplomacy. Biotechnology researchers benefit from sustained federal R&D support, biological-data infrastructure, joint solicitations, and public-private research centers. National security agencies benefit from a coordinated framework for biosecurity threats, adversary investments, biological data risks, and supply-chain vulnerabilities. Biotechnology workers benefit from a national workforce framework, training programs, fellowships, and curriculum support.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Participating federal agencies must designate biotechnology leads, join subcommittees, share information, and implement national strategy duties. The National Science Foundation must provide staffing, compensation authority, and administrative support for the coordination office. The National Biotechnology Coordination Office must maintain the website, annual reporting, strategies, regulatory-pathway work, and interagency coordination. Biotechnology regulators must negotiate clearer pathways and resolve overlaps, gaps, and ambiguities across agencies.

Key Provisions

• Establishes a National Biotechnology Initiative across named federal agencies.
• Creates a National Biotechnology Coordination Office in the Executive Office of the President within 180 days.
• Authorizes NSF support of $22 million in FY2026, $35 million in FY2027, and $25 million in each of FY2028 through FY2030.
• Requires a public biotechnology website, annual reports, five-year national strategies, and recurring GAO reviews.
• Directs participating agencies to act on national security, data, commercialization, regulatory streamlining, biosafety, workforce, bioliteracy, and international partnerships.