Bill > HR9194

This bill amends the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to support nucleic acid screening. Specifically, it directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to carry out measurement research to develop best practices and technical standards for biosecurity measures related to nucleic acid synthesis, including improving the accuracy and reliability of screening, establishing security and access controls, and providing implementation guidance. The bill also authorizes $5 million per year from 2025 to 2029 for NIST to conduct this research and convene a consortium of stakeholders to develop consensus priorities and best practices for synthetic nucleic acid procurement screening.