Kaine & Budd Introduce Bill to Boost Safety and Security Against Biological Threats

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Engineering Biology Readiness Act, legislation that would protect public safety and national security against biological threats. While engineering biology has accelerated the development of medical devices, treatments, and disease testing, the misuse or abuse of these innovations could pose substantial risks. This legislation would help safeguard the United States against biological threats by renewing the requirement for a National Biodefense Strategy (NBS) and directing an interagency coalition to provide recommendations to mitigate the risks of frontier biological research.

"Bioengineering has tremendous potential to accelerate innovation in health care, science, industry, and more. But there are also significant risks if these innovations are used the wrong way," said Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Armed Services Committees. "As this field continues to change and grow, this bipartisan legislation would help Congress assess and mitigate those risks, while ensuring Americans continue to benefit from advances in biotechnology."

"With advancements in engineering biology, the U.S. must be ready to confront potential national security and public safety threats. The COVID-19 pandemic showed how devastating biological threats can be. I'm proud to work with Senator Kaine to ensure Congress has the information it needs to identify potential engineering biology risks and strengthen our federal biodefense capabilities," said Budd, who also serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The NBS coordinates federal efforts to protect Americans from biological risks. It was last issued in 2022. In following years, novel biotechnologies have accelerated national security threats, and key biosecurity agencies have been reorganized in federal entities such as Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the White House National Security Council.

Specifically, the bipartisan Engineering Biology Readiness Act would:

• Renew the congressional reporting requirement for the NBS for five years to reflect advances in biotechnology and changes to biosecurity agencies.
• Direct an interagency coalition to provide a report on the risks posed by advances in engineering biology. This report will include an intelligence assessment; an analysis of authorities, regulations, and programs pertaining to the risks of engineering biology; and a proposal to modernize this governance to mitigate these risks.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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