A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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 Biotech Investment National Security Act of 2026 aims to amend the Defense Production Act of 1950. It seeks to include biotechnology within the definitions of "prohibited technology" and "notifiable technology." The bill targets the movement of pharmaceutical intellectual property and clinical development capabilities to the People's Republic of China. It aims to address strategic dependency risks similar to those found in semiconductors and artificial intelligence. The Act also requires the Secretary of the Treasury to define the specific parameters of biotechnology. Additionally, it mandates a report from the Secretary of Defense regarding the impact of capital flows into China's biotechnology sector on U.S. national security.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this make patent and copyright rules fairer?
The bill protects U.S. pharmaceutical intellectual property from being transferred to the People's Republic of China.
- Scored +4
Does this give the federal government more power?
The bill expands the scope of the Defense Production Act to include biotechnology regulation.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill creates regulatory uncertainty and restricts capital flows for biotechnology businesses.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Reduction of Strategic Dependency Risks: By including biotechnology as a prohibited or notifiable technology, the bill seeks to prevent the United States from becoming dependent on the People's Republic of China for pharmaceutical innovation, clinical development, and manufacturing. (Section 2)
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Protection of Intellectual Property: The bill introduces restrictions on the licensing of prohibited technology from covered foreign persons to help prevent the rapid transfer of pharmaceutical innovation capacity. (Section 3)
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National Security Safeguards: The bill aims to protect against the civil-military dual-use applications of biotechnology, treating it as a national security asset. (Section 2)
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Regulatory Uncertainty for Industry: The Secretary of the Treasury has one year after enactment to issue a rule defining the specific parameters of "biotechnology," which may impact how the sector is regulated. (Section 4)
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Potential Restrictions on Specific Transactions: The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to give particular consideration to licensing transactions, joint ventures, and equity investments involving drug discovery, clinical development, and biologics manufacturing as priority categories for prohibited or notifiable tiers. (Section 4)
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.
- Education And Technology
- Does this make patent and copyright rules fairer? — The bill protects U.S. pharmaceutical intellectual property from being transferred to the People's Republic of China.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill expands the scope of the Defense Production Act to include biotechnology regulation.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill creates regulatory uncertainty and restricts capital flows for biotechnology businesses.
- 8/6/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat · Michigan