H.R. 8938

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8938 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8938

To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out 
activities to support biotechnology workforce pathways and alignment 
with Federal research investments, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 20, 2026

Mr. McCormick (for himself and Mr. Khanna) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out 
activities to support biotechnology workforce pathways and alignment 
with Federal research investments, 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 Workforce Alignment 
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. NSF SUPPORT FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE PATHWAYS AND ALIGNMENT 
WITH FEDERAL RESEARCH INVESTMENTS.

(a) Alignment of Biotechnology Workforce Priorities.--
(1) In general.--The Director, in coordination with the 
heads of relevant Federal agencies, shall carry out activities 
to support the integration of Federal biotechnology research 
investments with workforce development activities.
(2) Workforce priority areas.--In carrying out paragraph 
(1), the Director shall identify high-demand biotechnology 
workforce areas, including the following:
(A) Biomanufacturing and bioprocess engineering.
(B) Synthetic biology.
(C) Bioinformatics and computational biology.
(D) Omics, such as genomics and proteomics.
(E) Regulatory science and quality assurance.
(F) Such other areas as the Director determines 
appropriate.
(b) Pathways, Engagement, and Partnerships.--In carrying out this 
section, the Director shall carry out the following:
(1) Support the development of a workforce framework, 
including relating to workforce categories, work roles, and 
competency areas, for biotechnology.
(2) Disseminate information on, and support educational and 
career pathways with multiple entry and exit points for, 
students and early-career researchers leading to credentials 
and degrees in biotechnology workforce areas.
(3) Promote participation in internships, apprenticeships, 
cooperative education programs, and other hands-on training 
opportunities.
(4) Support partnerships among institutions of higher 
education (including community colleges and minority-serving 
institutions), Federal laboratories, nonprofit organizations, 
and private sector entities.
(5) Disseminate best practices for workforce development 
activities.
(c) Coordination With Industry.--In carrying out this section, the 
Director shall, to the extent practicable, carry out the following:
(1) Coordinate with private sector entities engaged in 
biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing.
(2) Support model frameworks for industry-academic 
partnerships.
(3) Encourage alignment between workforce training programs 
and evolving industry needs.
(d) Metrics and Evaluation.--The Director shall develop metrics to 
assess the following:
(1) Workforce gaps in biotechnology careers.
(2) Barriers to entry into biotechnology careers.
(3) The effectiveness of coordination and partnerships 
under this section.
(e) Integration With Existing Activities.--The Director shall, to 
the extent practicable, carry out this section through integration with 
existing National Science Foundation programs and activities.
(f) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and biennially thereafter for six years, the 
Director shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that 
includes the following:
(1) An assessment of workforce gaps in biotechnology 
careers.
(2) A description of activities carried out under this 
section.
(3) An evaluation of outcomes associated with workforce 
development activities.
(4) An assessment of the position of the United States 
biotechnology workforce in maintaining global leadership in 
biotechnology relative to key competitor and near-peer 
countries.
(5) Recommendations for actions to strengthen Federal 
coordination relating to biotechnology initiatives and 
workforce development activities.
(g) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Biotechnology.--The term ``biotechnology'' means the 
use of biological systems, organisms, or derivatives thereof to 
develop or manufacture products, including biomanufacturing, 
bioprocess engineering, synthetic biology, genomics, 
proteomics, and computational biology applications.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
the National Science Foundation.
(3) Workforce development activities.--The term ``workforce 
development activities'' includes internships, apprenticeships, 
cooperative education, experiential learning, skills-based 
training, and related activities that prepare individuals for 
employment in biotechnology careers.
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