To amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to support nucleic acid screening, and for other purposes.

This bill, known as the Nucleic Acid Standards for Biosecurity Act, amends the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to significantly enhance national biosecurity. It mandates the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct crucial measurement research aimed at developing and improving best practices and technical standards for nucleic acid synthesis screening. This research will cover areas such as improving screening accuracy, establishing operational security protocols, and managing databases of concerning genetic sequences. Furthermore, the bill requires NIST to convene a consortium of stakeholders , including industry and academia, to establish consensus priorities and roadmaps for synthetic nucleic acid procurement screening mechanisms. The Director of NIST must then report the consortium's findings to Congress within 18 months of its first meeting. To support these vital initiatives, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $5,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for NIST's scientific and technical research activities.