[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4413 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4413
To provide for the establishment of a National Synthetic Biology
Center, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 23, 2024
Mr. Young (for himself and Mr. Padilla) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a National Synthetic Biology
Center, and for other purposes.
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 as the ``Synthetic Biology Advancement Act of
2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the application of synthetic biology to accelerate
innovation in food and agriculture is critical to--
(A) the national security and economic future of
the United States; and
(B) the ability of the United States to feed and
fuel the global economy;
(2) while agriculture has experienced significant
advancements in productivity and sustainability, the future of
the food system relies on disruptive technologies catalyzed by
synthetic biology at the intersections of soil health, plant
science, animal health, and, ultimately, human health;
(3) synthetic biology is a key tool to defend against
terrorism and high-consequence events;
(4) investments into synthetic biology will catalyze the
strengths of engineering, agriculture, and manufacturing to
develop a resilient food and agriculture system;
(5) resiliency is accomplished through advanced
biotechnology and digital solutions to keep the United States
at the forefront of feeding the United States and the world;
(6) Congress has historically prioritized a safe and secure
food supply in the United States, as evidenced by the enactment
of the Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act (Public Law 115-
43; 131 Stat. 884); and
(7) innovation and research are necessary to push the
boundaries of science to develop disruptive technologies that
advance national security through food security.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY CENTER.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) 1862 institution; 1890 institution.--The terms ``1862
Institution'' and ``1890 Institution'' have the meanings given
those terms in section 2 of the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601).
(2) 1994 institution.--The term ``1994 Institution'' has
the meaning given the term in section 532 of the Equity in
Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note;
Public Law 103-382).
(3) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the National
Synthetic Biology Center established under subsection (b)(1).
(4) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible
institution'' means--
(A) an 1862 Institution;
(B) an 1890 Institution; and
(C) a 1994 Institution.
(5) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(b) Establishment of National Synthetic Biology Center.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
head of any other relevant Federal agency, shall establish a
center, to be known as the ``National Synthetic Biology
Center'', to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible
institutions.
(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center is to provide a hub
for researchers and industry partners in the United States to
discover and develop science-based solutions based on synthetic
biology to improve agricultural performance while minimizing
environmental impact and improving overall food system
resiliency.
(c) Partnerships.--The Center shall provide grants to eligible
institutions to carry out projects in partnership with not fewer than 1
other entity, which may include--
(1) a nonprofit organization;
(2) a State entity;
(3) a National Laboratory;
(4) an 1862 Institution;
(5) an 1890 Institution;
(6) a 1994 Institution; or
(7) any combination of entities described in paragraphs (1)
through (6).
(d) Application.--
(1) In general.--An eligible institution seeking a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Center at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Center may require.
(2) Requirements.--An application submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include, at a minimum, a description of how the
proposed project will--
(A) promote innovative synthetic biology
technologies and practices that address current and
emerging challenges in the food and agriculture sector;
(B) foster the development and dissemination of
science-based educational resources and training
programs on synthetic biology for stakeholders in the
agricultural community;
(C) enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and
resiliency of food production systems through synthetic
biology interventions; and
(D) monitor and evaluate the impacts, benefits, and
challenges of implementing synthetic biology solutions
in real-world agricultural settings.
(e) Use of Funds.--
(1) Research priorities.--In awarding grants to eligible
institutions, the Center shall prioritize the following areas
of research:
(A) Cellular biology.
(B) Genomes to phenomes.
(C) Microbiomes or microbes.
(D) Gene editing.
(E) Digital agriculture.
(F) Fermentation.
(G) Controlled environment agriculture.
(2) Purposes.--An eligible institution receiving a grant
from the Center may use the grant for the following purposes:
(A) To explore and advance biotechnology applied to
food science in the creation of new protein sources for
human and animal consumption.
(B) To build on the Agricultural Genome to Phenome
Initiative (also known as the ``AG2PI'') of the
National Institute of Food and Agriculture to inform
approaches to understanding how variable weather,
environments, and production systems interact with
genetic diversity in crops and animals to impact growth
and productivity.
(C) To advance the development and
commercialization of nutritional and therapeutic
innovations to improve the health of livestock and
companion animals.
(D) To create new crops that have functional
mutations that improve performance and increase climate
resiliency through increased efficiency in the use of
inputs and increased disease and pest resistance.
(E) To apply artificial intelligence, machine
learning, data science, and advanced computational
processes to accelerate modeling and measurement for
new synthetic biological solutions.
(F) To strengthen advanced manufacturing sciences
and infrastructure to use microorganisms to produce
food and agricultural products, including vaccines,
crop protection products, and food products for human
and animal nutrition, by capitalizing on the strength
of food science, engineering, and pharmacy.
(G) To advance diversity of crops to increase the
food supply and explore pharmaceutical plant-based
derivatives within a controlled environment.
(f) Timing of Awards.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Center shall begin awarding grants under
this section.
(g) Coordination.--
(1) Grant recipients.--An eligible institution receiving a
grant from the Center under this section shall endeavor to
coordinate with a wide range of experts and researchers to
create efficiency in the innovation development pipeline.
(2) Center.--The Center shall coordinate with technology
transfer offices or technology licensing offices in order to
disseminate innovations and reach commercialization.
(h) Website.--The Center shall establish and maintain a website
with a user friendly portal in order to disseminate synthetic biology
findings and connect researchers and innovators to collaborative
opportunities.
(i) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Center shall submit to the
relevant committees of Congress a report detailing--
(1) any findings from the research funded by the Center;
(2) the progress of any innovation funded by the Center;
(3) a description of the focus and proposed goals of each
grant recipient;
(4) an assessment, based on a common set of metrics across
all grant recipients, of the success of each grant recipient in
improving efficiency in the innovation development pipeline;
and
(5) any recommendations for administrative or legislative
action that may optimize the effectiveness of the research
activities carried out by grant recipients under this section.
(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary--
(1) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029,
to remain available until expended, for the awarding of grants
by the Center; and
(2) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029,
to remain available until expended, for the establishment of
the Center and for other activities of the Center.
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