Nanotech bill sails through House
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
The House passes H.R. 554 Feb. 11 to direct federal nanotechnology research, strengthen public-private partnerships through industry liaison groups and prioritize public health and safety. An identical version of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act cleared the House in 2008, but failed in the Senate (1"The Rose Sheet" Jan. 26, 2009, p. 6). In a same-day release, bill sponsor and Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon says the legislation "will reduce the current uncertainty that inhibits commercial development of nanotechnology and will provide a sound basis for future rulemaking." The Tennessee Democrat adds that nanotechnology could be a $2.6 trillion industry by 2014
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House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon, a sponsor of legislation to promote nanotechnology, announced Dec. 14 he will not seek re-election in 2010 and will resign at the end of the 111 Congress. The Tennessee Democrat sponsored the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act - which passed the House in February - to direct federal nanotechnology research, including prioritizing public health protection (1"The Rose Sheet" Feb. 16, 2009)
Marketplace In Brief
CFSAN on nanotech: FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition continues to seek information from industry on nanotechnology in products including cosmetics and dietary supplements, and has no plans for now to move forward with separate regulations or a definition for products derived through nano-engineering, senior FDA staff including Office of Cosmetics and Colors Director Linda Katz reported in February during the Food and Drug Law Institute's annual meeting in Washington D.C. Regulation will continue to be driven by statutory classification, the center added, noting it has no plans to update the 2007 Nanotechnology Task Force Report. The House passed H.R. 554 on Feb. 11 in an effort to direct federal nanotech research, strengthen public-private partnerships and prioritize public health and safety (1"The Rose Sheet" Feb. 16, 2009, In Brief)
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