U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology

09/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2024 14:20

House Passes Science Committee Legislation to Strengthen Research Security

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7686, led by Science Committee member Congressman Mike Garcia (R-CA). The bill updates the definition of malign foreign talent recruitment programs in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to help federal research agencies and universities more clearly identify and address threats to scientific research. As our nation routinely faces threats from global adversaries seeking to wrongfully acquire U.S. innovation, our federal agencies and universities must be prepared to safeguard valuable research, and this update will help achieve that goal.

"The CHIPS Act is only as strong as its defenses against foreign exploitation," Rep. Garcia said."This bill eliminates confusing language in the CHIPS Act that could have allowed China to rob, replicate, and replace our innovations with their own. It's a direct, decisive move to ensure American taxpayer dollars aren't funding our CCP adversaries. We can't afford to be naive-this is about securing our competitive edge and protecting our nation's intellectual property."

"Research theft is one of the single greatest threats to our competitiveness as a nation. It takes our hard-won innovation and puts it to work for our adversaries, hurting our economy and our national security," Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) said. "The Chinese Communist Party has made it clear that they intend to surpass us as the global leader in science and technology, and they have no qualms about using intellectual property theft, forced technology acquisition, and other illicit means to do so."

"H.R. 7686 provides a clear, comprehensive definition that ensures that we are covering efforts by foreign countries of concern like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran," Lucas added. "I want to thank Representative Garcia for his work on this important bill. Research theft is a broad threat that is difficult to extinguish. And it's challenging to protect our research while still maintaining helpful international scientific collaboration."

Read the full text of the bill here.

Watch Chairman Lucas's remarks here.