[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6924 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6924

   To authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health to 
establish prize competitions to incentivize research by institutions of 
   higher education on at-home testing for the detection of current 
 infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2020

    Mr. Beyer (for himself and Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
   Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize the Director of the National Institutes of Health to 
establish prize competitions to incentivize research by institutions of 
   higher education on at-home testing for the detection of current 
 infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, 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 ``At-Home Testing Prize Competitions 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Prize competitions have been used throughout America's 
        history, dating back to the designing of the United States 
        Capitol Building in 1792.
            (2) The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 
        granted authority for Federal agencies to carry out prize 
        competitions in order to stimulate innovation to advance each 
        agency's mission.
            (3) Prize competitions provide a benefit to the American 
        people by providing a high reward return on taxpayer dollars.
            (4) Since 2010, Federal agencies have conducted nearly 
        1,000 prize competitions to help address some of our Nation's 
        greatest challenges.
            (5) In order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Americans 
        needs access to rapid diagnostic testing in their homes.
            (6) At-home infectious disease tests provide results in 
        real time, rather than in hours or days.
            (7) Infectious disease tests are useful in resource-limited 
        situations where there may not be access to a central 
        laboratory or where infrastructure is limited for transporting 
        samples. At-home infectious disease tests can also lead to 
        prompter treatment, which can prevent infections from 
        spreading.
            (8) Although other Federal agencies are currently involved 
        in supporting and conducting research into at-home testing, 
        research spurred by prize competitions at the National 
        Institutes of Health in consultation with the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology can have broader benefits 
        for the American public.
            (9) The National Institute of Standards and Technology, due 
        to its expertise in materials measurement, including for DNA 
        and other biological materials, is well positioned to support 
        the National Institutes of Health in the development of 
        reference materials and best practices for the assessment and 
        validation of COVID-19 test results.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PRIZE COMPETITION FOR RESEARCH ON COVID-19 AT-
              HOME TESTING.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Institutes of Health, 
in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, shall carry out prize competitions pursuant 
to section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 
(15 U.S.C. 3719) to incentivize research by institutions of higher 
education on at-home testing for the detection of current infection 
with the virus that causes COVID-19.
    (b) Requirements.--To be eligible for funding under this section, 
the at-home testing subject to the proposed research must be capable 
of--
            (1) being self-administered; and
            (2) producing results in 30 minutes or less.
    (c) Timing.--The Director of the National Institutes of Health 
shall--
            (1) publicize at least one prize competition pursuant to 
        subsection (a) within 30 days after the date of enactment of 
        this Act; and
            (2) publicize additional prize competitions pursuant to 
        subsection (a) as determined appropriate by the Director.
    (d) NIST Assistance.--The Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology shall provide assistance to the Director of 
the National Institutes of Health on developing validation protocols 
and standards for testing developed pursuant to this section.
                                 <all>