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Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2026

USA119th CongressS-4227| Senate 
| Updated: 3/26/2026
Catherine Cortez Masto

Catherine Cortez Masto

Democratic Senator

Nevada

Cosponsors (1)
Jim Banks (Republican)

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
This bill establishes a program requiring covered distributors of highly pathogenic agents to maintain detailed logbooks for all transfers, including comprehensive information about the agent, purchaser identity, intended use, and housing location. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will develop and annually update a list of these agents, defined as those meeting "risk group 3" or higher criteria, excluding those already regulated under specific bioterrorism acts. Purchasers must present identification and sign for the agent, with distributors verifying the information, and false statements carry criminal penalties. Distributors must retain logbook entries for at least three years, and the Secretary will establish strict regulations governing their disclosure, allowing access for law enforcement and health officials but prohibiting other uses. These logbooks and any derived data are explicitly exempt from Freedom of Information Act disclosure. The bill also mandates a risk-based audit process for logbooks, focusing on higher-risk distributors and suspicious patterns, though transfers between laboratories within a single institution of higher education are exempt. Beyond agent tracking, the legislation addresses the oversight of high-containment laboratories , defined as those suitable for "biosafety level 3" or higher procedures. The National Security Advisor will identify a Federal entity to conduct periodic strategic evaluations of these laboratories, assessing their number, location, mission, capacity, physical security, and aggregate risks. This entity will also develop national standards for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of such facilities, reporting findings and recommendations to the President and Congress. Additionally, it will establish a Public Health Biosafety and Biosecurity Team as a central point of contact for State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies regarding laboratory biosafety and biosecurity concerns, and conduct a feasibility study on creating a database of high-containment laboratories, with results reported to Congress.
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Timeline
Oct 14, 2025

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 119-5747
Introduced in House
Mar 26, 2026
Introduced in Senate
Mar 26, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  • October 14, 2025

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 119-5747
    Introduced in House


  • March 26, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • March 26, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health

Related Bills

  • HR 119-5747: Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2025

Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2026

USA119th CongressS-4227| Senate 
| Updated: 3/26/2026
This bill establishes a program requiring covered distributors of highly pathogenic agents to maintain detailed logbooks for all transfers, including comprehensive information about the agent, purchaser identity, intended use, and housing location. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will develop and annually update a list of these agents, defined as those meeting "risk group 3" or higher criteria, excluding those already regulated under specific bioterrorism acts. Purchasers must present identification and sign for the agent, with distributors verifying the information, and false statements carry criminal penalties. Distributors must retain logbook entries for at least three years, and the Secretary will establish strict regulations governing their disclosure, allowing access for law enforcement and health officials but prohibiting other uses. These logbooks and any derived data are explicitly exempt from Freedom of Information Act disclosure. The bill also mandates a risk-based audit process for logbooks, focusing on higher-risk distributors and suspicious patterns, though transfers between laboratories within a single institution of higher education are exempt. Beyond agent tracking, the legislation addresses the oversight of high-containment laboratories , defined as those suitable for "biosafety level 3" or higher procedures. The National Security Advisor will identify a Federal entity to conduct periodic strategic evaluations of these laboratories, assessing their number, location, mission, capacity, physical security, and aggregate risks. This entity will also develop national standards for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of such facilities, reporting findings and recommendations to the President and Congress. Additionally, it will establish a Public Health Biosafety and Biosecurity Team as a central point of contact for State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies regarding laboratory biosafety and biosecurity concerns, and conduct a feasibility study on creating a database of high-containment laboratories, with results reported to Congress.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline
Oct 14, 2025

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 119-5747
Introduced in House
Mar 26, 2026
Introduced in Senate
Mar 26, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  • October 14, 2025

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 119-5747
    Introduced in House


  • March 26, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • March 26, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Catherine Cortez Masto

Catherine Cortez Masto

Democratic Senator

Nevada

Cosponsors (1)
Jim Banks (Republican)

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

Health

Related Bills

  • HR 119-5747: Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2025
  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted