Engineering Biology Research and Development Act of 2015
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Research and Technology.
Engineering Biology Research and Development Act of 2015
Directs the President to implement a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Program to advance societal well-being, national security, and economic productivity and competitiveness through:
advancing areas of research at the intersection of the biological, physical, and information sciences and engineering;
supporting social science research that advances the field of engineering biology and contributes to the adoption of new products, processes, and technologies;
expanding the number of researchers, educators, and students with engineering biology training;
accelerating the translation and commercialization of engineering biology research and development by the private sector; and
improving the interagency planning and coordination of federal government activities related to engineering biology.
Directs the President to designate an interagency committee on engineering biology to oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the Program.
Requires the President to designate an advisory committee on engineering biology research and development to assess the progress being made in implementing the Program.
Directs the National Science Foundation to contract with the National Academies to convene a workshop to review the ethical, legal, environmental, and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology research and development.
Requires the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out specified research activities as part of the Program.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 28, 2015. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on February 19, 2015: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
EDDIE JOHNSON (D-TX) introduced it on January 28, 2015, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 28, 2015, 4243 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4221 days ago, on February 19, 2015.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers