[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8268 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8268
To support biotechnology education for secondary school students, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 14, 2026
Ms. McBride (for herself and Mr. McCormick) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support biotechnology education for secondary school students, 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 ``Biotechnology for All High School
Students Act''.
SEC. 2. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR ALL SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.
(a) In General.--Subtitle B of title III of the Research and
Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted as division B of
Public Law 117-167; popularly referred to as the ``CHIPS and Science
Act'') is amended by inserting after section 10311 (42 U.S.C. 18991)
the following new section:
``SEC. 10311A. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR ALL SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.
``(a) In General.--The Director, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education and the Consortium established pursuant to subsection (f),
may make awards on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to eligible
entities to support the implementation of new and expansion of existing
biotechnology education for secondary school students, including such
education in informal learning environments.
``(b) Applications.--An eligible entity that seeks an award under
subsection (a) shall submit to the Director an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director
may require.
``(c) Use of Funds.--An award under subsection (a) may be utilized
for any of the following purposes:
``(1) Professional development and training in
biotechnology education for teachers of secondary school
students, including with respect to the following:
``(A) Education instruction in a laboratory
setting.
``(B) Curriculum design.
``(C) Pedagogy.
``(2) Development and distribution of curricula and
instructional materials related to biotechnology education.
``(3) Acquisition of laboratory and instructional equipment
for biotechnology education.
``(4) Establishment of partnerships between institutions of
higher education, private sector entities, and eligible
nonprofit organizations to facilitate biotechnology education.
``(5) Development of transferrable and stackable
biotechnololgy credentials for such students.
``(6) Any other purpose the Director determines
appropriate.
``(d) Priority.--The Director may prioritize awards under
subsection (a) to eligible entities that demonstrate a need for, or
limited access to, educational resources relating to biotechnology
education.
``(e) Other Activities.--The Director, in consultation with the
Secretary of Education and the Consortium established pursuant to
subsection (f), may carry out the following:
``(1) Support coordination between Federal, State, and
local efforts regarding the implementation of new and expansion
of existing biotechnology education programs for secondary
school students.
``(2) Promote collaboration between public sector entities
and private sector entities regarding such implementation and
expansion.
``(3) Identify and share best practices regarding such
implementation and expansion.
``(4) Support professional development and training
referred to in subsection (c)(1) by means other than an award
under subsection (a).
``(5) Facilitate access to curricula, resources, and
digital learning tools with respect to such programs.
``(f) National Biotechnology Education Consortium.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Director, in consultation
with the Secretary of Education, shall establish a consortium,
to be known as the `National Biotechnology Education
Consortium' (in this section referred to as the `Consortium'),
to provide support and recommendations to the Director with
respect to biotechnology education programs for secondary
school students.
``(2) Membership.--The Consortium shall be composed of not
fewer than six members. The Director shall seek to appoint
members of the Consortium from the following:
``(A) Relevant Federal departments or agencies.
``(B) Eligible entities.
``(C) Stakeholders in biotechnology.
``(3) Sunset.--The Consortium shall terminate on the date
that is five years after the date on which the Consortium is
established under paragraph (1).
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means
any of the following entities:
``(A) A State educational agency (as such term is
defined in section 4 of the National Science Foundation
Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n note)).
``(B) A local educational agency (as such term is
defined in such section).
``(C) An institution of higher education.
``(D) An eligible nonprofit organization (as such
term is defined in such section).
``(E) A consortium of any of the entities described
in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
``(2) Secondary school.--The term `secondary school' has
the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--Public Law 117-167 is amended in the table
of contents in sections 1 and 10000 by inserting after the items
relating to section 10311 the following new items:
``Sec. 10311A. Biotechnology for all secondary school students.''.
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