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119-s-4227119th CongressWALLET

Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]

Introduced

Summary

Mandatory electronic logbooks for transfers of highly pathogenic agents would require covered distributors to record buyers and verify photo ID for sales. The bill would also create a federal framework to evaluate and set national standards for high-containment laboratories.

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  • Covered distributors would have to maintain an electronic log of each sale, lease, loan, or transfer with detailed purchaser information and ID verification. Entries must be retained for at least 3 years and purchasers must be warned that false statements can trigger criminal penalties.
  • High-containment laboratories, defined as Biosafety Level 3 or higher, would be subject to periodic strategic evaluations by a designated federal entity and to recommended national standards for design, construction, operation, and maintenance. A feasibility study would explore creating a nationwide database of these labs including ownership, location, licensing status, and violations.
  • Logbook information could be shared with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement and health officials for compliance, public health, and national security purposes. Logbooks and derived data would be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.

Federal oversight for high-containment labs

If enacted, the bill would direct the National Security Advisor to pick one federal entity to lead strategic evaluations of high-containment (BSL-3+) laboratories. That entity would develop national standards for lab design, construction, commissioning, operation, and long-term maintenance with scientific input. The entity would create a Public Health Biosafety and Biosecurity Team as a single federal point of contact for state, local, Tribal, and territorial officials within one year of designation. It would also study the feasibility of a nationwide database of such labs and report findings and strategic recommendations to Congress and the President.

New pathogen transfer rules for sellers

If enacted, the bill would require covered distributors who sell, lease, loan, or otherwise transfer listed highly pathogenic agents to keep an electronic logbook of every transfer. The logbook would record agent name, purchaser contact and identifiers, intended use and housing location, date/time and transfer method, and a purchaser signature. The Secretary of HHS would make the initial agent list within 6 months and update it each year. Distributors could not complete a transfer without verifying a photo ID and confirming the logbook entry, and must keep records at least 3 years and assume custody after ownership changes. HHS would run risk-based audits and limit public disclosure of logbook data. The bill would treat information given for logbook entry as information to the federal government, so knowingly false statements could trigger penalties under 18 U.S.C. 1001.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]

NV • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]

    IN • R

    Sponsored 3/26/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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