I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5747 
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, to carry out 
a program under which the Secretary requires each covered distributor 
of a highly pathogenic agent to comply with certain logbook requirements, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 14, 2025 
Mr. COSTA (for himself and Mr. VALADAO) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness 
and Response, to carry out a program under which the 
Secretary requires each covered distributor of a highly 
pathogenic agent to comply with certain logbook require-
ments, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Illegal Lab-
oratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIRING CERTAIN DISTRIBUTORS OF HIGHLY 
PATHOGENIC AGENTS TO KEEP A LOGBOOK 
OF 
SALES, 
LEASES, 
LOANS, 
AND 
OTHER 
TRANSFERS. 
(a) PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, acting through the Administration for Strategic 
Preparedness and Response, shall carry out a program 
under which the Secretary requires each covered dis-
tributor of a highly pathogenic agent to comply with the 
logbook requirements of subsection (c). 
(b) LIST OF HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AGENTS.— 
(1) DEVELOPMENT.—The Secretary shall de-
velop and maintain a list of all agents that meet the 
definition of a highly pathogenic agent in subsection 
(e). 
(2) INITIAL LIST.—The Secretary shall develop 
the initial list required by paragraph (1) not later 
than 6 months after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
(3) PERIODIC
REVIEW.—The Secretary shall 
annually review and update the list required by 
paragraph (1). 
(4) CONSULTATION; CONSIDERATION.—In de-
veloping and updating the list required by paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall— 
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(A) consult with relevant agencies, includ-
ing the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, the National Institutes of Health, the 
Department of Homeland Security, the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, the Department of the In-
terior, and the Department of Defense; 
(B) take into consideration the latest edi-
tion of ‘‘Biosafety in Microbiological and Bio-
medical Laboratories’’ published by the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention and the Na-
tional Institutes of Health (or any successor to 
such publication); and 
(C) take into consideration the latest edi-
tion of ‘‘NIH Guidelines for Research Involving 
Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Mol-
ecules’’ published by the National Institutes of 
Health (or any successor to such publication). 
(c) LOGBOOK REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each covered distributor 
shall maintain, in accordance with such criteria and 
format as the Secretary may require, an electronic 
list (in this section referred to as a ‘‘logbook’’) of 
the sales, leases, loans, or other transfers by such 
distributor of each highly pathogenic agent on the 
list under subsection (b). 
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(2) CONTENTS.—The covered distributor shall, 
for each sale, lease, loan, or other transfer referred 
to in paragraph (1), include in the logbook— 
(A) the agent by name; 
(B) the name, address, telephone number, 
and email address of the purchaser; 
(C) other relevant identifying business in-
formation of the purchaser, as deemed nec-
essary by the Secretary; 
(D) a short description of— 
(i) the purchaser’s intended use of the 
highly pathogenic agent; and 
(ii) where the purchaser will house the 
agent; 
(E) the date and time of the sale, lease, 
loan, or other transfer; 
(F) the method, date, and time of transfer 
of the highly pathogenic agent; 
(G) a physical or electronic signature of 
the purchaser; and 
(H) such other data elements as the Sec-
retary may require. 
(3) SALE REQUIREMENTS.—In the case of a 
sale, lease, loan, or other transfer to which para-
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graph (1) applies, the covered distributor shall not 
sell the highly pathogenic agent unless— 
(A) the prospective purchaser, in physical 
form or electronically in compliance with the 
Electronic Signatures in Global and National 
Commerce Act (42 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.)— 
(i) presents an identification card that 
provides a photograph and is issued by a 
State or the Federal Government, or a 
document that, with respect to identifica-
tion, is considered acceptable for purposes 
of 
sections 
274a.2(b)(1)(v)(A) 
and 
274a.2(b)(1)(v)(B) of title 8, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations (or successor regulations); 
and 
(ii) verifies by signature in the log-
book— 
(I) the purchaser’s name and ad-
dress; 
(II) a short description of— 
(aa) 
the 
purchaser’s 
in-
tended use of the agent; and 
(bb) where the purchaser 
will house the agent; 
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(III) the date and time of the 
sale, lease, loan, or other transfer; 
and 
(IV) the method, date, and time 
of transfer of the agent; and 
(B) the covered distributor— 
(i) determines that the name entered 
in the logbook corresponds to the name 
provided on the identification card referred 
to in subparagraph (A)(i), and that the in-
formation entered pursuant to subpara-
graph (A)(ii) is correct; and 
(ii) enters in the logbook the name of 
the highly pathogenic agent. 
(4) CONTENTS.—The covered distributor shall 
include in the logbook, in accordance with criteria of 
the Secretary, a notice to purchasers that entering 
false statements or misrepresentations in the log-
book may subject the purchasers to criminal pen-
alties under section 1001 of title 18, United States 
Code, which notice specifies the maximum fine and 
term of imprisonment under such section. 
(5) DURATION
OF
MAINTENANCE
OF
EN-
TRIES.— 
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(A) RETENTION
PERIOD.—The covered 
distributor shall maintain each entry in the log-
book for not fewer than three years after the 
date on which the entry is made. 
(B) SUCCESSOR ENTITY.—If ownership of 
a covered distributor changes, the successor en-
tity shall assume custody of and responsibility 
for all logbooks for the balance of the three- 
year retention period required by subparagraph 
(A). 
(6) DISCLOSURE
OF
LOGBOOKS.—The Sec-
retary shall establish restrictions on disclosure of in-
formation in logbooks. Such regulations shall— 
(A) provide for the disclosure of the infor-
mation as appropriate to the Secretary, Fed-
eral, State, local, Tribal, and territorial law en-
forcement agencies, and State health officials; 
and 
(B) prohibit accessing, using, or sharing 
information in the logbooks for any purpose 
other than— 
(i) to ensure compliance with this sec-
tion; 
(ii) to protect public health and safe-
ty; or 
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(iii) to protect national security. 
(7) FOIA EXEMPTION.—Logbooks and any de-
rivative data are exempt from disclosure under sec-
tion 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code. 
(d) FALSE STATEMENTS OR MISREPRESENTATIONS 
BY PURCHASERS.—For purposes of section 1001 of title 
18, United States Code, entering information in a logbook 
shall be considered a matter within the jurisdiction of the 
executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government 
of the United States. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘highly pathogenic agent’’— 
(A) subject to subparagraph (B), means a 
pathogenic agent that meets the criteria of 
‘‘risk group 3’’ or any higher level risk groups 
as such risk groups are defined in the latest 
edition of ‘‘NIH Guidelines for Research Involv-
ing Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid 
Molecules’’ published by the National Institutes 
of Health (or any successor to such publica-
tion); and 
(B) excludes any biological agent or toxin 
that is regulated under section 351A of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262a) or 
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section 212 of the Agricultural Bioterrorism 
Protection Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8401). 
(2) The term ‘‘covered distributor’’— 
(A) means an entity that sells, leases, 
loans, or otherwise transfers for value or with-
out value a highly pathogenic agent, except that 
such term does not include an employee or 
agent of such a distributor; and 
(B) includes a publicly funded repository 
or biobank that sells, leases, loans, or otherwise 
transfers a highly pathogenic agent, as de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). 
(3) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services, acting through the 
Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Re-
sponse. 
(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to supersede or otherwise affect 
the Federal Select Agent Program under section 351A of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262a) and sec-
tion 212 of the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act 
of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8401). 
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SEC. 3. EVALUATION OF HIGH-CONTAINMENT LABORA-
TORIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The National Security Advisor, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Sec-
retary of the Interior, the Director of National Intel-
ligence, and such other Federal officials as the National 
Security Advisor determines appropriate, shall identify a 
single Federal entity to oversee a periodic strategic evalua-
tion of high-containment laboratories in the United States. 
(b) TOPICS.—Each strategic evaluation under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) an assessment of— 
(A) the number, location, and mission of 
high-containment laboratories; 
(B) the capacity of such existing labora-
tories to effectively meet national goals to 
counter threats to biosafety and biosecurity; 
(C) the physical security measures at high- 
containment laboratories; 
(D) the aggregate risks associated with— 
(i) such existing laboratories; and 
(ii) expanding the numbers and facili-
ties of such laboratories; and 
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(E) the type of oversight needed for high- 
containment laboratories; and 
(2) up-to-date national standards, developed by 
the Federal entity identified under subsection (a)— 
(A) are developed by the Federal entity 
identified under subsection (a) in consultation 
with members of the scientific community, for 
the design, construction, commissioning, oper-
ation, and long-term maintenance of high-con-
tainment laboratories; and 
(B) take into consideration applicable reg-
ulations and guidance for high-containment lab-
oratories. 
(c) REPORTING.—Upon completion of each strategic 
evaluation under subsection (a), the Federal entity identi-
fied under subsection (a) shall submit to the President and 
the Congress a report on the results of such evaluation 
and include in each such report recommendations on— 
(1) addressing gaps in Federal oversight of 
high-containment laboratories; and 
(2) utilizing high-containment laboratories for 
protecting public health and ensuring biosafety and 
biosecurity in the United States. 
(d) PUBLIC HEALTH BIOSAFETY AND BIOSECURITY 
TEAM.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal entity identified 
under subsection (a) shall maintain a team, to be 
known as the Public Health Biosafety and Biosecu-
rity Team, to serve as a single point of contact for 
State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies regard-
ing questions relating to laboratory biosafety and 
biosecurity. 
(2) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Federal 
entity 
identified under subsection (a) shall establish the 
Public Health and Biosecurity Team, as required by 
paragraph (1), not later than one year after such of-
ficial is first designated. 
(3) DUTIES.—The Public Health Biosafety and 
Biosecurity Team shall be the single point of contact 
in the Federal Government for State, local, Tribal, 
and territorial agencies on— 
(A) issues related to— 
(i) oversight of high-containment lab-
oratories; 
(ii) the impact of high-containment 
laboratories on public health; or 
(iii) connecting State, local, Tribal, 
and territorial officials with the relevant 
Federal agency or agencies on matters re-
lated to high-containment laboratories; and 
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(B) other issues as determined necessary 
by the Federal entity identified under sub-
section (a). 
(e) FEASIBILITY STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal entity identified 
under subsection (a) shall conduct a feasibility study 
on establishing and maintaining a database on exist-
ing high-containment laboratories in the United 
States for the purpose of making such database ac-
cessible to Federal, State, local, Tribal, and terri-
torial officials. 
(2) DATABASE DESCRIBED.—The database to 
be studied under paragraph (1) should be designed 
to include, with respect to each high-containment 
laboratory, the following information: 
(A) The identity of the owners of the lab-
oratory. 
(B) The address of the laboratory. 
(C) The status of any licensing or certifi-
cation of the laboratory required under Federal, 
State, local, Tribal, or territorial law. 
(D) Any legal violations by, and discipli-
nary action taken against, the laboratory. 
(E) Such additional information as the 
Federal entity identified under subsection (a) 
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