I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7171 

To provide for a coordinated Federal research program to ensure continued 

United States leadership in engineering biology. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 27, 2018 

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself and Mr. SENSENBRENNER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To provide for a coordinated Federal research program to 

ensure continued United States leadership in engineering 

biology. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Engineering Biology 

5 Research and Development Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Cellular and molecular processes may be 

9 used, mimicked, or redesigned to develop new prodVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Nov 28, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7171.IH H7171

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1 ucts, processes, and systems that improve societal 

2 well-being, strengthen national security, and con3 tribute to the economy. 

4 (2) Engineering biology relies on scientists and 

5 engineers with a diverse and unique set of skills 

6 combining the biological, physical, and information 

7 sciences and engineering. 

8 (3) Long-term research and development is nec9 essary to create breakthroughs in engineering biol10 ogy. Such research and development requires govern11 ment investment as the benefits are too distant or 

12 uncertain for industry to support alone. 

13 (4) The Federal Government can play an im14 portant role by facilitating the development of tools 

15 and technologies to further advance engineering biol16 ogy, including multiple user facilities that the Fed17 eral Government is uniquely able to support. 

18 (5) Since other countries are investing signifi19 cant resources in engineering biology, the United 

20 States is at risk of losing its competitive lead in this 

21 emerging area if it does not invest the necessary re22 sources and have a national strategy. 

23 (6) A National Engineering Biology Initiative 

24 can serve to establish new research directions and 

25 technology goals, improve interagency coordination 


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1 and planning processes, drive technology transfer, 

2 and help ensure optimal returns on the Federal in3 vestment. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act— 

6 (1) the term ‘‘biomanufacturing’’ means the 

7 manufacturing of products using biological manufac8 turing technologies; 

9 (2) the term ‘‘engineering biology’’ means the 

10 science and engineering of cellular and molecular 

11 processes to advance fundamental understanding of 

12 complex natural systems, including the microbiome, 

13 and to develop new and advance existing products, 

14 processes, and systems that will contribute signifi15 cantly to societal well-being, national security, and 

16 the economy; 

17 (3) the term ‘‘Program’’ means the National 

18 Engineering Biology Research and Development 

19 Program established under section 4. 

20 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ENGINEERING BIOLOGY RESEARCH AND 

21 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

23 Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall implement 

24 a National Engineering Biology Research and Develop25 ment Program to advance societal well-being, national seVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Nov 28, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7171.IH H7171

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1 curity, and economic productivity and competitiveness 

2 through— 

3 (1) advancing areas of research at the intersec4 tion of the biological, physical, and information 

5 sciences and engineering, including research on the 

6 microbiome; 

7 (2) supporting social science research that ad8 vances the field of engineering biology and contrib9 utes to the adoption of new products, processes, and 

10 technologies; 

11 (3) expanding the number of researchers, edu12 cators, and students with engineering biology train13 ing; 

14 (4) accelerating the translation and commer15 cialization of engineering biology research and devel16 opment by the private sector; and 

17 (5) improving the interagency planning and co18 ordination of Federal Government activities related 

19 to engineering biology. 

20 (b) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—The activities of the Pro21 gram shall include— 

22 (1) sustained support for engineering biology 

23 research and development through— 

24 (A) grants to individual investigators and 

25 interdisciplinary teams of investigators; 


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1 (B) projects funded under joint solicita2 tions by a collaboration of no fewer than two 

3 agencies participating in the Program; and 

4 (C) interdisciplinary research centers that 

5 are organized to investigate basic research 

6 questions and carry out technology development 

7 and demonstration activities; 

8 (2) education and training of undergraduate 

9 and graduate students in research at the intersection 

10 of biological, physical, and information sciences and 

11 engineering; 

12 (3) activities to develop robust mechanisms for 

13 tracking and quantifying the outputs and economic 

14 benefits of engineering biology; and 

15 (4) activities to accelerate the translation and 

16 commercialization of new products, processes, and 

17 technologies by— 

18 (A) identifying precompetitive research op19 portunities; 

20 (B) facilitating public-private partnerships 

21 in engineering biology research and develop22 ment; 

23 (C) connecting researchers, graduate stu24 dents, and postdoctoral fellows with entrepreVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Nov 28, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7171.IH H7171

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1 neurship education and training opportunities; 

2 and 

3 (D) supporting proof of concept activities 

4 and the formation of startup companies includ5 ing through programs such as the Small Busi6 ness Innovation Research Program and the 

7 Small Business Technology Transfer Program. 

8 (c) EXPANDING PARTICIPATION.—The Program shall 

9 include, to the maximum extent practicable, outreach to 

10 primarily undergraduate and minority-serving institutions 

11 about Program opportunities, and shall encourage the de12 velopment of research collaborations between research-in13 tensive universities and primarily undergraduate and mi14 nority-serving institutions. 

15 (d) ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SOCI16 ETAL ISSUES.—Program activities shall take into account 

17 ethical, legal, environmental, and other appropriate soci18 etal issues, including the need for safeguards and moni19 toring systems to protect society against the unintended 

20 release of engineered materials produced, by— 

21 (1) supporting research, including in the social 

22 sciences, and other activities addressing ethical, 

23 legal, environmental, and other appropriate societal 

24 issues related to engineering biology, including inte25 grating research on such topics with the research 


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1 and development in engineering biology, and ensur2 ing that the results of such research are widely dis3 seminated, including through interdisciplinary engi4 neering biology research centers described in sub5 section (b)(1); and 

6 (2) ensuring, through the agencies and depart7 ments that participate in the Program, that public 

8 input and outreach are integrated into the Program 

9 by the convening of regular and ongoing public dis10 cussions through mechanisms such as citizen panels, 

11 consensus conferences, and educational events, as 

12 appropriate. 

13 (e) INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE.—The President, act14 ing through the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 

15 shall designate an interagency committee on engineering 

16 biology, which shall include representatives from the Office 

17 of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science 

18 Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Aer19 onautics and Space Administration, the National Institute 

20 of Standards and Technology, the Environmental Protec21 tion Agency, and any other agency that the President con22 siders appropriate (in this section referred to as the 

23 ‘‘interagency committee’’). The Director of the Office of 

24 Science and Technology Policy shall select a chairperson 

25 from among the members of the Interagency Committee. 


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1 The Interagency Committee shall oversee the planning, 

2 management, and coordination of the Program. The Inter3 agency Committee shall— 

4 (1) provide for interagency coordination of Fed5 eral engineering biology research, development, and 

6 other activities undertaken pursuant to the Pro7 gram; 

8 (2) establish and periodically update goals and 

9 priorities for the Program; 

10 (3) develop, not later than 12 months after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act, and update every 5 

12 years, a strategic plan that— 

13 (A) guides the activities of the Program 

14 for purposes of meeting the goals and priorities 

15 established under (and updated pursuant to) 

16 paragraph (2); and 

17 (B) describes— 

18 (i) the Program’s support for long19 term funding for interdisciplinary engineer20 ing biology research and development; 

21 (ii) the Program’s support for edu22 cation and public outreach activities; 

23 (iii) the Program’s support for re24 search and other activities on ethical, legal, 

25 environmental, and other appropriate sociVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Nov 28, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7171.IH H7171

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1 etal issues related to engineering biology; 

2 and 

3 (iv) how the Program will move re4 sults out of the laboratory and into appli5 cation for the benefit of society and United 

6 States competitiveness; 

7 (4) propose an annually coordinated interagency 

8 budget for the Program that is intended to ensure— 

9 (A) the maintenance of a robust engineer10 ing biology research and development portfolio; 

11 and 

12 (B) that the balance of funding across the 

13 Program is sufficient to meet the goals and pri14 orities established for the Program; 

15 (5) develop a plan to utilize Federal programs, 

16 such as the Small Business Innovation Research 

17 Program and the Small Business Technology Trans18 fer Program, in support of the activities described in 

19 subsection (b)(4); and 

20 (6) in carrying out this section, take into con21 sideration the recommendations of the advisory com22 mittee established under section 5, the results of the 

23 workshop convened under section 6, existing reports 

24 on related topics, and the views of academic, State, 

25 industry, and other appropriate groups. 


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1 (f) ANNUAL REPORT.—The interagency committee 

2 established under subsection (e) shall prepare an annual 

3 report, to be submitted to the Committee on Science, 

4 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

5 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor6 tation of the Senate not later than 90 days after submis7 sion of the President’s annual budget request, that in8 cludes— 

9 (1) the Program budget for the fiscal year to 

10 which such budget request applies, and for the then 

11 current fiscal year, including a breakout of spending 

12 for each agency participating in the Program, and 

13 for the development and acquisition of any research 

14 facilities and instrumentation; and 

15 (2) an assessment of how Federal agencies are 

16 implementing the plan described in subsection 

17 (e)(5), and a description of the amount and number 

18 of Small Business Innovation Research and Small 

19 Business Technology Transfer awards made in sup20 port of the Program. 

21 SEC. 5. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

23 Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall designate 

24 or establish an advisory committee on engineering biology 

25 research and development (in this section referred to as 


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1 the ‘‘advisory committee’’) to be composed of not fewer 

2 than 12 members, including representatives of research 

3 and academic institutions, industry, and nongovernmental 

4 entities, who are qualified to provide advice on the Pro5 gram. 

6 (b) ASSESSMENT.—The advisory committee shall as7 sess— 

8 (1) progress made in implementing the Pro9 gram; 

10 (2) the need to revise the Program; 

11 (3) the balance of activities and funding across 

12 the Program; 

13 (4) whether the Program priorities and goals 

14 developed by the Interagency Committee are helping 

15 to maintain United States leadership in engineering 

16 biology; 

17 (5) the management, coordination, implementa18 tion, and activities of the Program; and 

19 (6) whether ethical, legal, environmental, and 

20 other appropriate societal issues are adequately ad21 dressed by the Program. 

22 (c) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than 3 years 

23 after the date of enactment of this Act, and not less fre24 quently than once every 5 years thereafter, the advisory 

25 committee shall submit to the President, the Committee 


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1 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep2 resentatives, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

3 and Transportation of the Senate, a report on— 

4 (1) the findings of the advisory committee’s as5 sessment under subsection (b); and 

6 (2) the advisory committee’s recommendations 

7 for ways to improve the Program. 

8 (d) APPLICATION OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COM9 MITTEE ACT.—Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Com10 mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory 

11 Committee. 

12 SEC. 6. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF ETHICAL, LEGAL, ENVIRON13 MENTAL, AND SOCIETAL ISSUES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Na16 tional Science Foundation shall enter into an agreement 

17 with the National Academies to convene a workshop to 

18 review the ethical, legal, environmental, and other appro19 priate societal issues related to engineering biology re20 search and development. The goals of the workshop shall 

21 be to— 

22 (1) assess the current research on such issues; 

23 (2) evaluate the research gaps relating to such 

24 issues; and 


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1 (3) provide recommendations on how the Pro2 gram can address the research needs identified. 

3 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

4 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

5 the National Science Foundation shall transmit to the 

6 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

7 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com8 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a sum9 mary report containing the findings of the workshop con10 vened under this section. 

11 SEC. 7. AGENCY ACTIVITIES. 

12 (a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—As part of 

13 the Program, the National Science Foundation shall— 

14 (1) support basic research at the intersection of 

15 the biological, physical, and information sciences and 

16 engineering, including research on the microbiome, 

17 through individual grants and through interdiscipli18 nary research centers; 

19 (2) support research on the environmental and 

20 social effects of engineering biology; 

21 (3) provide research instrumentation support 

22 for engineering biology disciplines; and 

23 (4) award grants, on a competitive basis, to en24 able institutions to support graduate students and 


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1 postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engi2 neering biology research in an industry setting. 

3 (b) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.—As part of the 

4 Program, the Director of the National Institute of Stand5 ards and Technology shall— 

6 (1) establish a bioscience research program to 

7 advance the development of standard reference ma8 terials and measurements and to create new data 

9 tools, techniques, and processes necessary to advance 

10 engineering biology and biomanufacturing; 

11 (2) provide access to user facilities with ad12 vanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and 

13 other resources to industry, institutions of higher 

14 education, nonprofit organizations, and government 

15 agencies to perform research and testing; and 

16 (3) provide technical expertise to inform the de17 velopment of guidelines and safeguards for new 

18 products, processes, and systems of engineering biol19 ogy. 

20 (c) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—As part of the Pro21 gram, the Secretary of Energy shall— 

22 (1) conduct and support basic research, devel23 opment, demonstration, and commercial application 

24 activities in engineering biology disciplines, including 

25 in the areas of synthetic biology, advanced biofuel 


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1 development, biobased materials, and environmental 

2 remediation; and 

3 (2) provide access to user facilities with ad4 vanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and 

5 other resources, as appropriate, to industry, institu6 tions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, 

7 and government agencies to perform research and 

8 testing. 

9 (d) NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINIS10 TRATION.—As part of the Program, the National Aero11 nautics and Space Administration shall— 

12 (1) conduct and support basic and applied re13 search in engineering biology fields, including in the 

14 field of synthetic biology, the microbiome, and re15 lated to Earth and space sciences, aeronautics, space 

16 technology, and space exploration and experimen17 tation, consistent with the priorities established in 

18 the National Academies’ decadal surveys; and 

19 (2) award grants, on a competitive basis, that 

20 enable institutions to support graduate students and 

21 postdoctoral fellows who perform some of their engi22 neering biology research in an industry setting. 

23 (e) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.—As 

24 part of the Program, the Environmental Protection AgenVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:46 Nov 28, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7171.IH H7171

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1 cy shall support research on how products, processes, and 

2 systems of engineering biology will affect the environment. 

Æ 


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