Engineering Biology Readiness Act

Federal review of engineering biology risks

This bill would require certain federal departments and agencies to add engineering biology analysis and recommendations to the next biennial biodefense threat assessment provided after enactment. The analysis would assess threats to national security and public safety from current and anticipated engineering biology risks. It would describe current lines of research and development across covered departments and agencies for prevention, deterrence, preparedness, detection, response, attribution, recovery, and mitigation. The agencies would analyze authorities, regulations, and programs (including biosafety, biosecurity, and biodefense), evaluate gaps, redundancies, and ambiguities, and may include other relevant matters. Recommendations would address aligning research across agencies, modernizing authorities and programs, and creating or updating program(s) to enforce safeguards, identify best practices, issue voluntary guidance, and provide consultation. For certain recommendations, agencies would have to propose specific legislative actions and estimate the funding needed. Agencies would develop the analysis and recommendations in consultation with industry, academia, and civil society, including life‑science researchers who have not received a federal grant or contract in the prior five years. The report would be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex. Covered departments and agencies, and the definitions of "engineering biology" and "engineering biology risk," would be set by cross-reference to existing statutes.