[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2538 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2538
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
to regional biocontainment laboratories for maintaining surge capacity
for purposes of responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases or acts
of bioterrorism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 26, 2023
Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Tuberville) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
to regional biocontainment laboratories for maintaining surge capacity
for purposes of responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases or acts
of bioterrorism.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Regional Biocontainment Laboratory
Authorization Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. SUPPORTING RESEARCH AND LABORATORY SURGE CAPACITY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall make awards to
establish or maintain, as applicable, not fewer than 12 regional
biocontainment laboratories, for purposes of--
(1) conducting biomedical research to support public health
and medical preparedness for, and rapid response to, biological
agents, including emerging infectious diseases;
(2) ensuring the availability of surge capacity for
purposes of responding to such biological agents;
(3) supporting information-sharing between, and the
dissemination of findings to, researchers and other relevant
individuals to facilitate collaboration between industry and
academia; and
(4) providing, as appropriate and applicable, technical
assistance and training to researchers and other relevant
individuals to support the biomedical research workforce in
improving the management and mitigation of safety and security
risks in the conduct of research involving such biological
agents.
(b) Requirements.--As a condition of receiving a grant under this
section, a regional biocontainment laboratory shall agree--
(1) to such oversight activities as the Secretary
determines appropriate, including periodic meetings with
relevant officials of the Department of Health and Human
Services, facility inspections, and other activities as
necessary and appropriate to ensure compliance with the terms
and conditions of such award; and
(2) to report accidents, near-accidents, or other safety
incidents involving biological agents and toxins to the
Secretary.
(c) Board.--The Secretary shall establish a Board consisting of a
representative from each entity in receipt of an award under subsection
(a), which shall be headed by an executive committee of 3 members
elected upon an affirmative vote from a majority of such
representatives. The Board shall make recommendations to the Secretary
in administering awards under this section, for purposes of--
(1) improving the quality and consistency of applicable
procedures and practices within laboratories funded pursuant to
subsection (a); and
(2) ensuring coordination, as appropriate, of federally
funded activities carried out at such laboratories.
(d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``regional
biocontainment laboratory'' means a Biosafety or Animal Biosafety
Level-3 and Level-2 facility located at an institution in the United
States that is designated by the Secretary to carry out the activities
described in subsection (a).
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated $52,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028.
(f) Administrative Expenses.--Of the amount available to carry out
this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary may use not more than 5
percent for the administrative expenses of carrying out this section,
including expenses related to carrying out subsection (c).
(g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the Secretary, in
consultation with the heads of applicable Federal departments and
agencies shall report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives on--
(1) the activities and accomplishments of the regional
biocontainment laboratories;
(2) any published or disseminated research findings based
on research conducted in such laboratories in the applicable
year;
(3) oversight activities carried out by the Secretary
pursuant to subsection (b);
(4) activities undertaken by the Secretary to take into
consideration the capacity and capabilities of the network of
regional biocontainment laboratories in activities to prepare
for and respond to biological agents, which may include
leveraging such capacity and capabilities to support the
Laboratory Response Network, as applicable and appropriate;
(5) plans for the maintenance and sustainment of federally
funded activities conducted at the regional biocontainment
laboratories, consistent with the strategy required under
section 2312 of the PREVENT Pandemics Act (Public Law 117-328);
and
(6) activities undertaken by the Secretary to coordinate
with applicable agencies to ensure work carried out by such
facilities is prioritized and complementary to one another, and
avoiding unnecessary duplication.
<all>