HouseH.R. 8938119th Congress
Biotechnology Workforce Alignment Act of 2026
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[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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