,i  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eia  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,january #bh1 #bjae  
,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas 
7for herself and ,mr4 ,sensenbrenner7   
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,science1
 ,space1 and ,technology  ,a ,,bill  ,to
 provide for a coordinated ,federal     
research program to ensure continued    
,united ,states leadership in           
engineering biology4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,engineering ,biology ,research and     
,development ,act of #bjae4  #b4        
,findings ,the ,congress makes the      
following findings3  7#a7 ,cellular and 
molecular processes may be used1        
mimicked1 or redesigned to develop new  
products1 processes1 and systems that   
improve societal well-being1 strengthen 
national security1 and contribute to the
 economy4  7#b7 ,engineering biology    
relies on scientists and engineers with 
a diverse and unique set of skills      

combining the biological1 physical1 and 
information sciences and engineering4   
7#c7 ,long-term research and development
 is necessary to create breakthroughs in
 engineering biology4 ,such research and
 development requires government        
investment as the benefits are too      
distant or uncertain for industry to    
support alone4  7#d7 ,the ,federal      
,government can play an important role  
by facilitating the development of tools
 and technologies to further advance    
engineering biology1 including multiple 
user facilities that the ,federal       
,government is uniquely able to support4
  7#e7 ,since other countries are       
investing significant resources in      
engineering biology1 the ,united ,states
 is at risk of losing its competitive   
lead in this emerging area if it does   
not invest the necessary resources and  
have a national strategy4  7#f7 ,a      
,national ,engineering ,biology         
,initiative can serve to establish new  
research directions and technology      

goals1 improve interagency coordination 
and planning processes1 drive technology
 transfer1 and help ensure optimal      
returns on the ,federal investment4  #c4
 ,definitions ,in this ,act-- 7#a7 the  
term ,advisory ,committee means the     
advisory committee designated under     
section #e2  7#b7 the term              
biomanufacturing means the manufacturing
 of products using biological           
manufacturing technologies2  7#c7 the   
term engineering biology means the      
science and engineering of cellular and 
molecular processes to advance          
fundamental understanding of complex    
natural systems and to develop new and  
advance existing products1 processes1   
and systems that will contribute        
significantly to societal well-being1   
national security1 and the economy2     
7#d7 the term ,interagency ,committee   
means the interagency committee         
designated under section #d7;e72 and    
7#e7 the term ,program means the        
,national ,engineering ,biology         

,research and ,development ,program     
established under section #d4  #d4      
,national ,engineering ,biology         
,research and ,development ,program  7a7
 ,in general ,the ,president shall      
implement a ,national ,engineering      
,biology ,research and ,development     
,program to advance societal well-being1
 national security1 and economic        
productivity and competitiveness        
through--  7#a7 advancing areas of      
research at the intersection of the     
biological1 physical1 and information   
sciences and engineering2  7#b7         
supporting social science research that 
advances the field of engineering       
biology and contributes to the adoption 
of new products1 processes1 and         
technologies2  7#c7 expanding the number
 of researchers1 educators1 and students
 with engineering biology training2     
7#d7 accelerating the translation and   
commercialization of engineering biology
 research and development by the private
 sector2 and  7#e7 improving the        

interagency planning and coordination of
 ,federal ,government activities related
 to engineering biology4  7b7 ,program  
activities ,the activities of the       
,program shall include-- 7#a7 sustained 
support for engineering biology research
 and development through--  7,a7 grants 
to individual investigators and         
interdisciplinary teams of              
investigators2  7,b7 projects funded    
under joint solicitations by a          
collaboration of no fewer than two      
agencies participating in the ,program2 
and  7,c7 interdisciplinary research    
centers that are organized to           
investigate basic research questions and
 carry out technology development and   
demonstration activities2  7#b7         
education and training of undergraduate 
and graduate students in research at the
 intersection of biological1 physical1  
and information sciences and            
engineering2  7#c7 activities to develop
 robust mechanisms for tracking and     
quantifying the outputs and economic    

benefits of engineering biology2 and    
7#d7 activities to accelerate the       
translation and commercialization of new
 products1 processes1 and technologies  
by--  7,a7 identifying precompetitive   
research opportunities2  7,b7           
facilitating public-private partnerships
 in engineering biology research and    
development2  7,c7 connecting           
researchers1 graduate students1 and     
postdoctoral fellows with               
entrepreneurship education and training 
opportunities2 and  7,d7 supporting     
proof of concept activities and the     
formation of startup companies including
 through programs such as the ,small    
,business ,innovation ,research ,program
 and the ,small ,business ,technology   
,transfer ,program4  7c7 ,expanding     
participation ,the ,program shall       
include1 to the maximum extent          
practicable1 outreach to primarily      
undergraduate and minority-serving      
institutions about ,program             
opportunities1 and shall encourage the  

development of research collaborations  
between research-intensive universities 
and primarily undergraduate and         
minority-serving institutions4  7d7     
,ethical1 legal1 environmental1 and     
societal issues ,program activities     
shall take into account ethical1 legal1 
environmental1 and other appropriate    
societal issues1 including the need for 
safeguards and monitoring systems to    
protect society against the unintended  
release of engineered materials         
produced1 by--  7#a7 supporting         
research1 including in the social       
sciences1 and other activities          
addressing ethical1 legal1              
environmental1 and other appropriate    
societal issues related to engineering  
biology1 including integrating research 
on these topics with the research and   
development in engineering biology1 and 
ensuring that the results of such       
research are widely disseminated1       
including through interdisciplinary     
engineering biology research centers    

described in subsection 7b77#a72 and    
7#b7 ensuring1 through the agencies and 
departments that participate in the     
,program1 that public input and outreach
 are integrated into the ,program by the
 convening of regular and ongoing public
 discussions through mechanisms such as 
citizen panels1 consensus conferences1  
and educational events1 as appropriate4 
7e7 ,interagency committee ,the         
,president shall designate an           
interagency committee on engineering    
biology1 which shall include            
representatives from the ,office of     
,science and ,technology ,policy1 the   
,national ,science ,foundation1 the     
,department of ,energy1 the ,national   
,aeronautics and ,space ,administration1
 the ,national ,institute of ,standards 
and ,technology1 the ,environmental     
,protection ,agency1 and any other      
agency that the ,president considers    
appropriate4 ,the ,director of the      
,office of ,science and ,technology     
,policy shall select a chairperson from 

among the members of the ,interagency   
,committee4 ,the ,interagency ,committee
 shall oversee the planning1 management1
 and coordination of the ,program4 ,the 
,interagency ,committee shall--  7#a7   
provide for interagency coordination of 
,federal engineering biology research1  
development1 and other activities       
undertaken pursuant to the ,program2    
7#b7 establish and periodically update  
goals and priorities for the ,program2  
7#c7 develop1 not later than #ab months 
after the date of enactment of this     
,act1 and update every #e years1 a      
strategic plan to guide the activities  
of the ,program and meet the goals and  
priorities established under paragraph  
7#b7 and describe--  7,a7 the ,program's
 support for long-term funding for      
interdisciplinary engineering biology   
research and development2  7,b7 the     
,program's support for education and    
public outreach activities2  7,c7 the   
,program's support for research and     
other activities on ethical1 legal1     

environmental1 and other appropriate    
societal issues related to engineering  
biology2 and  7,d7 how the ,program will
 move results out of the laboratory and 
into application for the benefit of     
society and ,united ,states             
competitiveness2  7#d7 propose an       
annually coordinated interagency budget 
for the ,program that will ensure the   
maintenance of a robust engineering     
biology research and development        
portfolio and ensure that the balance of
 funding across the ,program is         
sufficient to meet the goals and        
priorities established for the ,program2
  7#e7 develop a plan to utilize        
,federal programs1 such as the ,small   
,business ,innovation ,research ,program
 and the ,small ,business ,technology   
,transfer ,program1 in support of the   
goal described in subsection 7b77#d72   
and  7#f7 in carrying out its           
responsibilities under this section1    
take into consideration the             
recommendations of the ,advisory        

,committee1 the results of the workshop 
convened under section #f1 existing     
reports on related topics1 and the views
 of academic1 ,state1 industry1 and     
other appropriate groups4  7f7 ,annual  
report ,the ,interagency ,committee     
shall prepare an annual report1 to be   
submitted to the ,committee on ,science1
 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house  
of ,representatives and the ,committee  
on ,commerce1 ,science1 and             
,transportation of the ,senate not later
 than #ij days after submission of the  
,president's annual budget request1 that
 includes--  7#a7 the ,program budget   
for the fiscal year to which such budget
 request applies1 and for the then      
current fiscal year1 including a        
breakout of spending for each agency    
participating in the ,program1 and for  
the development and acquisition of any  
research facilities and instrumentation2
 and  7#b7 an assessment of how ,federal
 agencies are implementing the plan     
described in subsection 7e77#e71 and a  

description of the amount and number of 
,small ,business ,innovation ,research  
and ,small ,business ,technology        
,transfer awards made in support of the 
,program4  #e4 ,advisory ,committee  7a7
 ,in general ,the ,president shall      
designate an advisory committee on      
engineering biology research and        
development with at least #ab members1  
including representatives of research   
and academic institutions1 industry1 and
 nongovernmental entities1 who are      
qualified to provide advice on the      
,program4  7b7 ,assessment ,the         
,advisory ,committee shall assess-- 7#a7
 progress made in implementing the      
,program2  7#b7 the need to revise the  
,program2  7#c7 the balance of          
activities and funding across the       
,program2  7#d7 whether the ,program    
priorities and goals developed by the   
,interagency ,committee are helping to  
maintain ,united ,states leadership in  
engineering biology2  7#e7 the          
management1 coordination1               

implementation1 and activities of the   
,program2 and  7#f7 whether ethical1    
legal1 environmental1 and other         
appropriate societal issues are         
adequately addressed by the ,program4   
7c7 ,reports ,the ,advisory ,committee  
shall report within #c years after the  
date of enactment of this ,act1 and     
thereafter not less frequently than once
 every #e years1 to the ,president1 the 
,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and     
,technology of the ,house of            
,representatives1 and the ,committee on 
,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation
 of the ,senate1 on its findings of the 
assessment carried out under this       
section and its recommendations for ways
 to improve the ,program4  7d7 ,federal 
advisory committee act application      
,section #ad of the ,federal ,advisory  
,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app47    
shall not apply to the ,advisory        
,committee4  #f4 ,external review of    
ethical1 legal1 environmental1 and      
societal issues  7a7 ,in general ,not   

later than #ab months after the date of 
enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of
 the ,national ,science ,foundation     
shall enter into an agreement with the  
,national ,academies to convene a       
workshop to review the ethical1 legal1  
environmental1 and other appropriate    
societal issues related to engineering  
biology research and development4 ,the  
goals of the workshop shall be to--     
7#a7 assess the current research on such
 issues2  7#b7 evaluate the research    
gaps relating to such issues2 and  7#c7 
provide recommendations on how the      
,program can address the research needs 
identified4  7b7 ,report to ,congress   
,not later than #b years after the date 
of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director
 of the ,national ,science ,foundation  
shall transmit to the ,committee on     
,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the
 ,house of ,representatives and the     
,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and  
,transportation of the ,senate a summary
 report containing the findings of the  

workshop convened under this section4   
#g4 ,agency activities  7a7 ,national   
,science ,foundation ,as part of the    
,program1 the ,national ,science        
,foundation shall-- 7#a7 support basic  
research at the intersection of the     
biological1 physical1 and information   
sciences and engineering through        
individual grants and through           
interdisciplinary research centers2     
7#b7 support research on the            
environmental and social effects of     
engineering biology2  7#c7 provide      
research instrumentation support for    
engineering biology disciplines2 and    
7#d7 award grants1 on a competitive     
basis1 to enable institutions to support
 graduate students and postdoctoral     
fellows who perform some of their       
engineering biology research in an      
industry setting4  7b7 ,department of   
,commerce ,as part of the ,program1 the 
,director of the ,national ,institute of
 ,standards and ,technology shall-- 7#a7
 establish a bioscience research program

 to advance the development of standard 
reference materials and measurements and
 to create new data tools1 techniques1  
and processes necessary to advance      
engineering biology and                 
biomanufacturing2  7#b7 provide access  
to user facilities with advanced or     
unique equipment1 services1 materials1  
and other resources to industry1        
institutions of higher education1       
nonprofit organizations1 and government 
agencies to perform research and        
testing2 and  7#c7 provide technical    
expertise to inform the development of  
guidelines and safeguards for new       
products1 processes1 and systems of     
engineering biology4  7c7 ,department of
 ,energy ,as part of the ,program1 the  
,secretary of ,energy shall-- 7#a7      
conduct and support basic research1     
development1 demonstration1 and         
commercial application activities in    
engineering biology disciplines1        
including in the areas of synthetic     
biology1 advanced biofuel development1  

biobased materials1 and environmental   
remediation2 and  7#b7 provide access to
 user facilities with advanced or unique
 equipment1 services1 materials1 and    
other resources1 as appropriate1 to     
industry1 institutions of higher        
education1 nonprofit organizations1 and 
government agencies to perform research 
and testing4  7d7 ,national ,aeronautics
 and ,space ,administration ,as part of 
the ,program1 the ,national ,aeronautics
 and ,space ,administration shall-- 7#a7
 conduct and support basic and applied  
research in engineering biology fields1 
including in the field of synthetic     
biology1 and related to ,earth and space
 sciences1 aeronautics1 space           
technology1 and space exploration and   
experimentation1 consistent with the    
priorities established in the ,national 
,academies' decadal surveys2 and  7#b7  
award grants1 on a competitive basis1   
that enable institutions to support     
graduate students and postdoctoral      
fellows who perform some of their       

engineering biology research in an      
industry setting4  7e7 ,environmental   
,protection ,agency ,as part of the     
,program1 the ,environmental ,protection
 ,agency shall support research on how  
products1 processes1 and systems of     
engineering biology will affect the     
environment4