# 119-s-5557: SCALE Biology Act

119-s-5557, SCALE Biology Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5557
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5557
- Congress: 119
- Title: SCALE Biology Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Creates a NIST-run Biometrology Laboratory Program to set standards and measurement tools for engineering biology and biomanufacturing.** The bill would authorize the NIST Director to carry out research, convene partners, and develop voluntary, consensus technical standards, measurement infrastructure, and a public lexicon for biological data and materials. - Industry and manufacturers would get shared measurement infrastructure, foundries, and voluntary standards to make engineering biology more predictable, interoperable, and easier to commercialize. - Researchers and colleges would gain access to user facilities and support for graduate and postgraduate training. The outreach rules emphasize participation from minority-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and public institutions with lower R&D funding. - Federal programs and rules would be realigned. The bill would update definitions in the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act for terms like engineering biology, biomanufacturing, biorisk, and biosecurity, repeal one listed section, and require coordination with Manufacturing USA, the Department of Energy, and existing research security authorities. The bill lists authorities and activities but does not specify funding amounts or phases.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal biology measurement research program: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would direct the Secretary, through the NIST Director, to create a biometrology laboratory program for engineering biology and biomanufacturing. The program would fund measurement research, data standards, biosafety and biosecurity practices, lifecycle and sustainability studie…
- Repeal of a federal research authority: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would repeal Section 10221 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act and remove its entry from that law’s table of contents. The text does not describe which programs, grants, or recipients rely on that authority, so specific effects are not specified.

## Related bills

- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4627: FARM AI Act of 2026
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the…
- 119-s-107: Lumbee Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5557 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5557)

## Related
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4627: FARM AI Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4627)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-199)
- [119-s-107: Lumbee Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-107)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5557 (as of 2026-10-17).