3.0.0 2912 2023-03-08T20:12:23Z 2023-03-08T20:12:23Z Senate S 2021-09-30 117 ssfr00 Foreign Relations Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2021-09-30T19:21:57Z 2021-09-30 ssfr00 Foreign Relations Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. IntroReferral 2021-09-30 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress R000584 Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] James Risch R ID E. N International Affairs Animal and plant health Arms control and nonproliferation Asia Biological and life sciences Chemical and biological weapons China Congressional oversight Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad Europe Food supply, safety, and labeling Foreign aid and international relief Government studies and investigations Hazardous wastes and toxic substances Health promotion and preventive care Health technology, devices, supplies Infectious and parasitic diseases Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information International law and treaties International organizations and cooperation Iran Medical research Middle East Military civil functions Military procurement, research, weapons development North Korea Nuclear weapons Research administration and funding Russia Syria Terrorism United Nations World health International Affairs 00 2021-09-30 Introduced in Senate 2022-06-16T21:12:57Z Biological Weapons Policy Act of 2021

This bill modifies the Department of State's authorities related to biological and virological weapons and addresses related issues.

The State Department's authority to engage in certain activities (e.g., conduct research and provide grants) related to detecting and reducing certain weapons shall include activities directed at biological and virological weapons.

The bill prohibits using federal funds for research that increases the pathogenicity, contagiousness, or transmissibility of viruses or bacteria if the research involves a foreign entity subject to the jurisdiction of certain countries, including China and Russia.

The President must carry out certain activities related to China's compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention, including engaging with other governments about concerns about such compliance.

The U.S. representative to the United Nations (UN) must advocate to bar representatives from certain countries, including China and Russia, from serving in leadership positions in any UN agency or program with a nexus to certain subjects, such as global health and biosecurity.

The U.S. mission to certain countries must complete an assessment of whether each U.S. government-supported project involving life sciences dual-use research of concern aligns with U.S. national interests.

The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on (1) U.S. government authorities and processes related to cooperation with other nations in life sciences research that could be weaponized or pose dual-use concerns; and (2) coordination between federal agencies responsible for public health, biomedical research, and national security in the assessment of the security implications of cooperation with other nations on life sciences research.

]]> Biological Weapons Policy Act of 2021 Official Title as Introduced A bill to strengthen United States oversight of the Biological Weapons Convention and to advance non-proliferation objectives related to biological weapons, dual-use technologies, and life sciences research, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Display Title Biological Weapons Policy Act of 2021 Short Title(s) as Introduced Biological Weapons Policy Act of 2021 Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2021-09-30T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117s2912is/xml/BILLS-117s2912is.xml 2021-09-30 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.