Ro Khanna (D-CA)
AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 4 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create definitions, standards, resources, and frameworks for biological datasets. The goal is to ensure that biological datasets from qualified federally funded research are ready for use in artificial intelligence models. The Director must consult with various federal agencies, the private sector, and academia while establishing these standards. The bill also requires the creation of a public database for these datasets and an advisory group to provide guidance. NIST must test these standards to ensure they are not overly burdensome for researchers.
Yes· 3 of 16
- Scored +5
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
Requires a public database and website for biological datasets and research inventories.
- Scored +4
Does this make the country readier for the next outbreak?
AI-ready biological datasets are critical for rapid vaccine and therapeutic development during pandemics.
- Scored +4
Does this put more money into scientific research?
Provides critical standards and resources that enhance the value of federally funded scientific research.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Advancement in Science and Technology: The bill requires that the definition of "artificial intelligence-ready" supports advancements in research relating to biotechnology and artificial intelligence (Section 2(a)(2)(A)(ii)(I)).
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Public Access to Data: The Director is required to make inventoried information about existing biological datasets available to the public via a website (Section 2(b)(2)) and establish a publicly available database as a single point of access for AI-ready biological datasets (Section 2(d)(3)(B)).
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Support for Researchers: The bill mandates the establishment of data management resources and cybersecurity frameworks for federally funded researchers who are generating or curating biological datasets (Section 2(a)(2)(C)(ii)).
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Protection Against Excessive Burden: The Director must ensure that standards are not overly burdensome to the point that they require resources or expertise beyond what recipients of funding have available (Section 2(a)(2)(D)(i)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Potential Burden on Researchers: While the bill aims to avoid it, there is a recognized risk that complying with these new definitions and standards could result in an "undue burden" on recipients of qualified federally funded research (Section 2(c)(2)).
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Restrictive Eligibility: Whether research is considered "qualified federally funded research" depends on conditions set by the Director, such as the amount of funding received and the recipient's existing expertise or the size of the dataset (Section 2(a)(2)(A)(iii)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Healthcare
- Does this make the country readier for the next outbreak? — AI-ready biological datasets are critical for rapid vaccine and therapeutic development during pandemics. Does this put more money into medical research? — Provides resources, frameworks, and standards to enhance the utility of federally funded research. Does this lower the price of prescription medicines? — AI-ready biological data can accelerate drug discovery, potentially lowering long-term development costs. Does this make health care easier to get in general? — Advances in biotech research generally lead to improved medical treatments and access over time.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — Biotech and AI company owners benefit from standardized, accessible datasets. Would students be better off under this? — Provides better data resources and standards for students in science and technology fields. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Creates opportunities in AI and biotech for new graduates and researchers.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires a public database and website for biological datasets and research inventories. Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases NIST's role in setting national standards for biological data.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to grow the economy? — Promotes growth in the biotechnology and artificial intelligence sectors through better data standards. Is this likely to create jobs? — Standardizing bio-data for AI can accelerate biotech innovation and create high-tech jobs. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Publicly available AI-ready datasets lower the barrier to entry for small biotech startups.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — Provides critical standards and resources that enhance the value of federally funded scientific research. Does this give people more control over their personal data? — Establishment of cybersecurity frameworks for bio-data improves data security and privacy.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this better protect the country from computer attacks? — Directs NIST to establish cybersecurity frameworks for biological datasets.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change? — Biomanufacturing standards may support more sustainable, bio-based industrial processes.
- 6/24/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/18/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/19/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/12/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Jake AuchinclossDemocrat · Massachusetts
Chrissy HoulahanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Jay ObernolteRepublican · California
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia