The purposes of this chapter are to establish a state regulatory scheme to ensure state participation in the federal Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology to protect human health and the environment and to stimulate the growth of the biotechnology industry within the Commonwealth. To do this, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade shall cooperate with federal authorities in accordance with the federal Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology to assess the potential risks and effects of proposed regulated introductions of genetically engineered organisms into the environment without undue governmental interference with the progress and commercial development of biotechnology within the Commonwealth. The General Assembly does not intend to create a regulatory scheme that duplicates federal regulatory efforts regarding biotechnology, or one that overly burdens biotechnology efforts within the Commonwealth. This chapter is intended to institute a process in which the Commonwealth can monitor the federal regulatory process and protect its interests in agriculture, public health, and the natural environment, as needed, by participation in the federal regulatory process.
1994, c. 472, § 2.1-769; 2001, c. 844.