A push is under way for new U.S. neurotechnology rules that would criminalize abuse of brain-related tech, a win for advocates who say current law leaves victims unprotected.

• The proposal would set up an 11-member ethics board outside the Pentagon, intelligence agencies, DHS, and the Energy Department.
• That board would get real power: the ability to audit agencies and subpoena records.
• Violations would become a federal felony, with victims allowed to sue for damages.
• A separate amendment would treat qualifying neurotechnology crimes as racketeering, the same legal tool used against organized crime.
• Backers say two decades of testing data behind the effort has been accepted for publication in a medical journal in October, which they argue makes hard-to-measure complaints objective.

Outlook: Expect a fight over whether lawmakers accept the science and hand an outside board subpoena power over defense and intelligence agencies.