S.189, The Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003, was approved Thursday by the House Science Committee.

The bill, reportedly backed by the White House, would authorize spending $2.36 billion over three years for nanotechnology programs at a range of government agencies.

Rep. Brad Sherman tried, unsuccessfully, to attach an amendment that would force the government to spend 5 percent of its nanotechnology research budget on analysis of the societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology research and development, including the implications of developing “nonhuman intelligence.”