Bill creates a network of free making labs across the country.
H.R. 9463 — National Fab Lab Network Act of 2026 · Filed by Bill Foster (D-IL) · Introduced Jun 25, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
The bill sets up a nonprofit group called the National Fab Lab Network. This group will open digital fabrication labs (fab labs) in communities. Each fab lab has 3D printers, laser cutters, electronics tools, and design software. The bill wants at least one fab lab in each Congressional District. It focuses on areas that do not have many resources.
Who it affects
People in communities gain access to manufacturing tools and training. Schools, small businesses, and job training programs can use the labs. The bill prioritizes underserved areas.
One thing to notice
The bill does not say how much money the government will give. The corporation must raise money from private sources and other government agencies.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Jun 25, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 25, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- fab lab — A workshop with 3D printers, laser cutters, and other tools for making things.
- digital fabrication — Using computers and machines to design and build objects.
- Congressional District — An area of the country that elects one member to the U.S. House of Representatives.
- underserved — An area or group that does not have enough resources or services.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 5, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
“Bill creates a network of free making labs across the country.” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr9463/simple Report an error