Representatives Rich McCormick (R-GA07) and Sarah McBride (D-DE), members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, recently introduced the bipartisan Biotechnology for All High School Students Act.
The legislation aims to increase access to hands-on biotechnology education, helping to strengthen the future of health care, agriculture, the environment, and other critical industries.
Rep. McCormick highlighted the urgent need to invest in biotechnology and compete with actors like China. He also pitched this legislation as the next step towards building up America’s workforce.
“America's leadership in biotechnology starts in the classroom. As competitors like China rapidly invest in biotech, we cannot afford to fall behind,” Rep. McCormick stated. “This bill expands access and ensures our students can be part of America's innovation economy.”
He continued, “By investing in hands-on learning and expanding access to cutting-edge resources, we are building the workforce that will drive innovation and keep the United States competitive on the global stage.”
The Bill
For context, biotechnology is the applied science of harnessing living organisms to advance scientific discovery in areas such as health care, food production, energy, and manufacturing.
The Biotechnology for All High School Students Act would primarily establish a new National Biotechnology Education Consortium.
This consortium would bring together the federal government, state and local partners, and biotechnology stakeholders to provide recommendations on how best to expand biotechnology education in high schools nationwide.
The bill would specifically authorize the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the Consortium, to award competitive grants, support biotechnology education, and ensure teachers and students have the resources they need.
These efforts would include lab-based training for teachers, the distribution of curriculum design, and instructional materials.
They would also include the acquisition of laboratory equipment, partnerships with institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations, and the development of transferable, stackable biotechnology credentials for students.
As for the bill’s credibility, it is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the Afterschool Alliance, iGEM, National Security Commission, BioBuilder, and the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL).
