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This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as To amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to support nucleic acid screening, and for other purposes., committees such as Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, members such as Brian Babin.
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July 20, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3029) to amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to support nucleic acid screening, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3029
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited “Nucleic Acid Standards for
Biosecurity Act”.
SEC. 2. SUPPORTING NUCLEIC ACID SCREENING.
Section 10221 of the Research and Development, Competition,
and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18931; enacted as part of title
II of division B of Public Law 117-167) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(1)—
(A) in subparagraph (C), by striking “and” after the
semicolon;
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E);
and
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new
subparagraph:
“(D) best practices, guidelines, and technical standards
for risk management associated with engineering biology and
biomanufacturing, including risks associated with the use of
artificial intelligence; and”;
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections
(c) and (d), respectively; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsection:
“(b) Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening Tools and
Standards.—
“(1) In general.—The Director, in consultation with heads
of Federal agencies the Director considers appropriate, shall
carry out measurement research to support the development and
improvement of best practices and technical standards for
biosecurity measures related to nucleic acid synthesis,
including the following:
“(A) Testing to improve the accuracy, efficacy, and
reliability of screening for nucleic acid synthesis.
“(B) Best practices, including security and access
controls, for operational security and managing sequence-of-
concern databases to support such screening.
“(C) Technical implementation guidance to ensure such
screening is effective and secure.
“(D) Conformity-assessment best practices and technical
standards.
“(E) Methods to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of
the implementation of subparagraphs (A) through (D).
“(2) Consortium.—In carrying out this subsection, the
Director shall convene a consortium of stakeholders,
including industry, institutions of higher education,
nonprofit organizations, and customers to carry out the
following:
“(A) Develop and periodically update consensus priorities
and best practices, as appropriate, for synthetic nucleic
acid procurement screening mechanisms.
“(B) Develop roadmaps to inform the activities carried out
under paragraph (1).
“(3) Report.—Not later than 18 months after the first
meeting of the consortium under paragraph (2), the Director
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a
report summarizing the findings of the consortium.
“(4) Authorization of appropriations.—Of the funds
authorized to be appropriated for the National Institute of
Standards and Technology pursuant to this section for
scientific and technical research and services laboratory
activities, there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this
subsection.”.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Salinas) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3029, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3029, the Nucleic Acid Standards for Biosecurity Act, introduced by Representative Salinas of Oregon, along with Representative McCormick of Georgia.
This bill is about protecting two things we all care about: American leadership in the life sciences and the security of the American people.
made-to-order DNA, the basic building blocks of biology, and have it delivered in a matter of days. This technology powers new medicines and vaccines, stronger crops, and advanced manufacturing. It is a real source of American strength.
future could, in the wrong hands, potentially be used to assemble the genetic material of a dangerous pathogen.
Responsible providers already guard against this. They screen incoming orders against sequences of concern and verify the identities of their customers. However, as this field continues to advance rapidly, the lack of common technical standards and best practices for screening presents an emerging biosecurity risk.
and Technology, NIST, was built to do. NIST is our Nation's measurement and standards laboratory. It does not regulate industry. It provides industry with the tools and benchmarks and the best practices needed to get this right.
H.R. 3029 directs NIST to carry out the measurement research needed to make this screening more accurate and reliable by improving screening tools, securing databases of concerning sequences, and developing ways for providers to demonstrate that their screening systems work as intended.
actually do this work, including industry, universities, and nonprofit organizations, to develop consensus best practices and a roadmap for the future.
biotechnology. It strengthens our biosecurity while safeguarding the innovation that keeps us ahead of our competitors, and it passed the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee on a bipartisan basis.
bill, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SALINAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
revolution that is transforming our economy. In recent years, we have seen breakthroughs that have delivered promising new treatments for Alzheimer's, new biological alternatives to pesticides, and plastic- eating bacteria, just to name a few.
sustainable economy, and supporting good jobs. However, while America leads the world in these emerging technologies, our competitors are close behind. If we want to ensure American industry stays on top, then American consumers must have confidence in the safety and reliability of our advancements.
by producing synthetic nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA, for use in biotech research. These are an important tool though that allows scientists to study gene function, develop novel vaccines, improve diagnostic tests, and pursue countless other life-changing discoveries. Companies like Twist Bioscience in my district are pushing the envelope to accelerate and scale-up production, which, in turn, will facilitate faster discoveries.
systems to design nucleic acid sequences, we need to double down on efforts to ensure the
technology is used safely and responsibly.
H.R. 3029, the Nucleic Acid Standards for Biosecurity Act, directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to carry out measurement research and lead consensus-driven standards development to ensure these tools can be harnessed in a trustworthy manner.
benefit from this partnership with NIST. These standards will drive sustainable growth while helping to keep this industry and the good jobs it supports right here in America. Through a commonsense partnership between government and industry, we will unlock responsible and trustworthy growth that benefits industry, workers, and consumers across the economy.
Chairman Babin and Mr. McCormick for their bipartisan work. I urge my colleagues to vote “yes” on H.R. 3029, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3029 is a practical, targeted bill. It directs NIST to develop the science-based standards and best practices needed to make the screening of synthetic DNA much more reliable, helping to ensure that the very technology driving American biotechnology cannot be turned against us.
Space, and Technology Committee and why it deserves the support of the full House today.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3029, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3029, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.