                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

PURPOSE (§ 2.2-5500)

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.

HISTORY: 1994, c. 472, § 2.1-769; 2001, c. 844.