Title: Foreign Gain-of-Function Research Prevention Act of 2021
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Foreign Gain-of-Function Research Prevention Act of 2021
This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to conduct or support gain-of-function research involving potential pandemic pathogens by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or other foreign adversaries. Gain-of-function research is any research that is anticipated to confer an attribute on a pathogen to enhance its pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals.
If the Department of State finds that an entity has used funds for prohibited research, the entity may not receive any federal funding for a period of five years.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4071 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4071

  To prohibit the use of Federal funds to conduct or support certain 
           gain-of-function research by a foreign adversary.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 22, 2021

Mr. Wenstrup (for himself, Mr. Babin, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Joyce of 
    Pennsylvania, Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Stewart, Mr. 
     Crawford, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Ms. Stefanik, and Mr. Nunes) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To prohibit the use of Federal funds to conduct or support certain 
           gain-of-function research by a foreign adversary.

    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 ``Foreign Gain-of-Function Research 
Prevention Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON FEDERAL FUNDING FOR CERTAIN GAIN-OF-FUNCTION 
              RESEARCH BY A FOREIGN ADVERSARY.

    (a) In General.--No Federal funds may be made available, whether 
directly or indirectly, or used by an entity, to conduct or support any 
gain-of-function research involving a potential pandemic pathogen by a 
foreign adversary, including--
            (1) China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea; and
            (2) any other country the Secretary of State, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Director of 
        National Intelligence, or any other appropriate Federal 
        official, determines to be a foreign adversary for the purposes 
        of this section.
    (b) Funding Freeze for Violations.--Any entity the Secretary of 
State finds to have used Federal funds in violation of this section may 
not receive any Federal funding for a period of 5 years, beginning on 
the date of such finding.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Gain-of-function research.--The term ``gain-of-function 
        research'' means any research that may be reasonably 
        anticipated to confer an attribute to a pathogen such that the 
        pathogen would have enhanced pathogenicity or transmissibility 
        in mammals.
            (2) Potential pandemic pathogen.--The term ``potential 
        pandemic pathogen'' means a pathogen that, prior to any gain-
        of-function research--
                    (A) is likely highly transmissible and likely 
                capable of wide and uncontrollable spread in human 
                populations; and
                    (B) is likely highly virulent and likely to cause 
                significant morbidity or mortality in humans.
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