[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 977 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 977

  To amend title 35, United States Code, to prohibit the patenting of 
                        human genetic material.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 9, 2007

  Mr. Becerra (for himself and Mr. Weldon of Florida) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 35, United States Code, to prohibit the patenting of 
                        human genetic material.

    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 ``Genomic Research and Accessibility 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON PATENT OF HUMAN GENETIC MATERIAL.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 10 of title 35, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 106. Prohibition on patent of human genetic material
    ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no patent may be 
obtained for a nucleotide sequence, or its functions or correlations, 
or the naturally occurring products it specifies.''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of sections of chapter 10 of 
title 35, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``106. Prohibition on patent of human genetic material.''.
    (c) Applicability.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall not 
apply to a patent issued before the date of the enactment of this Act.
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