Dec. 2, 2003 — President Bush is expected to sign into law the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (PDF, 56.1 KB) at 2:10 p.m. in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
The bill comes to the president from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, both of which approved the nanotech legislation last month.
The law will give nanotech a permanent home in the federal government, and authorizes nearly $3.7 billion over four years for research and development programs coordinated among several federal agencies. It also authorizes public hearings and expert advisory panels, as well as the American Nanotechnology Preparedness Center to study the emerging technology’s potential societal and ethical effects.