# 119-s-3741: Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026

119-s-3741, Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3741
- As of: 2026-09-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3741
- Congress: 119
- Title: Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-25

## Summary

**Centralize and strengthen nucleic acid synthesis security.** This bill would require mandatory screening of gene synthesis orders, create a federal list and conformity system for sequences of concern, and launch a governance sandbox to test rules and standards. - Covered providers and industry would have to screen orders, verify customer identity, support privacy‑preserving split‑order detection, and undergo a conformity assessment with audits. Selling to recipients of Federal funds would require compliance and civil penalties could reach up to $500,000 for individuals and $750,000 for non‑individuals. - Researchers and academic institutions would get safeguards to limit burden, including expedited reviews for accredited higher education institutions, exemptions for clearly non‑hazardous sequences, and a technical assistance program for ambiguous screening results. - Federal agencies would be pushed to consolidate and streamline biosecurity authorities via a plan due within 90 days and would create a Biotechnology Governance Sandbox within one year to test approaches. Regulations must be updated at least every two years and agencies must report annually on implementation and provider verification.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-01-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal biosecurity review and consolidation plan: benefit, high. If enacted, the OSTP Director would complete an inventory and assessment of federal biosecurity and biosafety authorities within 90 days. The assessment would include stakeholder engagement, identify overlaps and funding gaps, and evaluate whether to consolidate guidance or create a new entity. The…
- New government biotech testing sandbox: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Under Secretary for Standards and Technology would set up a biotechnology governance "sandbox" within 1 year. The sandbox would let government, industry, academics, and civil-society experts test biosecurity tools in secure settings and fund measurement research to help set standard…
- New screening rules and penalties for providers: mixed, high. If enacted, the Secretary of Commerce would set mandatory screening rules for companies that sell synthetic DNA or synthesizer equipment. Covered providers would have to verify customer identity, use privacy-preserving order screening and split-order detection, and screen against a government list…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.

## Sources
- [119-s-3741 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3741)

## Related
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3741 (as of 2026-09-25).