# 119-s-4491: Biodefense Diplomacy Enhancement Act

119-s-4491, Biodefense Diplomacy Enhancement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT); status introduced (as of 2026-05-31).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4491
- As of: 2026-05-31
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4491
- Congress: 119
- Title: Biodefense Diplomacy Enhancement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: International Affairs
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-31

## Summary

**Builds a U.S.-led diplomatic framework to strengthen international cooperation on biodefense and biotechnology.** This bill would push NATO and U.S. allies to coordinate policy, planning, and standards for detecting, responding to, and recovering from biological threats and misuse of biotech tools. - NATO partners: Directs the Secretary of State to press NATO to prioritize biodefense, biosurveillance, biotechnology policy, and countermeasures. It would call for a NATO Biodefense Strategy that assesses gaps and recommends capability and planning fixes. - Allies and partners: Requires an International Biotechnology, Biosecurity, and Biodefense Cooperation Strategy with proposals for cooperation with major non-NATO allies, export-control coordination on dual-use biotech items, and steps to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention. - Scope and timeline: Limits strategies to threats defined in 18 U.S.C. 178 and would require an unclassified report to Congress within 270 days and a congressional briefing within 90 days after enactment. The bill also directs use of NADR (Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related) programs and funds to support cooperation and export-control efforts.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- U.S. diplomacy to strengthen allied biodefense: benefit, medium. This bill would require the Secretary of State to write two strategies on biodefense and biotechnology cooperation. The NATO strategy would assess U.S.–NATO cooperation, identify planning and capability gaps, and recommend ways to address them. The international strategy would propose commitments w…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-s-3659: SECURE Minerals Act of 2026
- 119-s-2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4491 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4491)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-1462: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1462)
- [119-s-3659: SECURE Minerals Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3659)
- [119-s-2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2355)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4491 (as of 2026-05-31).