[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7916 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7916
To amend title 34, United States Code, to authorize eligible privately
owned and operated forensic DNA testing laboratories to directly upload
qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 12, 2026
Mr. Nehls introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
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A BILL
To amend title 34, United States Code, to authorize eligible privately
owned and operated forensic DNA testing laboratories to directly upload
qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System, and for other
purposes.
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 ``CODIS Access Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Congress recognizes the essential role that publicly
operated forensic laboratories and their dedicated scientific
professionals play in supporting law enforcement
investigations, administering justice, and protecting public
safety. However, increasing case volumes, persistent DNA
testing backlogs, and the challenges associated with
implementing emerging forensic technologies within government
systems can delay the timely processing of critical evidence.
These delays may hinder the identification and apprehension of
violent offenders, allowing serial perpetrators of crimes such
as rape and homicide to remain unidentified and potentially
continue victimizing additional individuals. Congress further
finds that strategic public-private partnerships with
accredited forensic laboratories can expand testing capacity,
accelerate the processing of DNA evidence, and provide access
to advanced technologies and specialized expertise. Such
partnerships can also reduce delays in DNA profile entry into
the National DNA Index System, accelerate investigative leads,
increase case resolution rates, reduce burdens on publicly
operated laboratories, enhance justice for victims and their
families, and help prevent future crimes.
(2) Accredited private forensic DNA laboratories, meeting
the same FBI Quality Assurance Standards and ISO/IEC 17025
requirements as public laboratories, are currently barred from
direct uploads to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS),
resulting in mandatory and costly redundant reviews that delay
investigations by days to years.
(3) Restricting CODIS access to public laboratories is
detrimental to national security and public safety, as violent
offenders often cross jurisdictions, while private labs already
process thousands of cases annually for Federal, State, local,
military, and homeland security agencies.
(4) Precedent exists for non-law enforcement entities to
officially perform traditional criminal justice agency
functions, including the Department of Justice's partnership
with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(NCMEC) which affords it vital access to the National Crime
Information Center (NCIC) to help solve missing and
unidentified children's cases across the United States.
(5) The United States Government routinely relies on
accredited private entities and government contractors to
perform highly sensitive national security, intelligence, and
law enforcement support functions, including cybersecurity
operations, forensic analysis, intelligence processing, and
classified systems management under strict Federal oversight
and security requirements. The use of qualified private
forensic laboratories to support DNA identification efforts
represents a continuation of established Federal practices of
leveraging private sector expertise to advance public safety.
(6) Accredited private forensic DNA laboratories already
perform forensic testing for Federal, State, local, military,
and homeland security agencies while complying with the same
FBI Quality Assurance Standards and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation
requirements as public laboratories.
(7) Allowing qualified private forensic DNA laboratories to
upload qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System
under strict regulatory safeguards is consistent with
longstanding Federal practices of utilizing accredited private
entities to enhance national security, public safety, and
investigative capabilities.
(8) The societal and economic costs of unsolved violent
crimes are immense, with estimates of $122,000 per rape and
$1.4 million per murder in medical, productivity, legal, and
suffering-related expenses. Timely offender identification and
apprehension also prevent future crimes as rapists commit on
average more than 7 sexual assaults per year.
(9) Granting direct CODIS upload authority to eligible
private laboratories would accelerate case resolutions,
increase DNA matches and arrests, reduce public lab burdens,
prevent additional offenses, and advance bipartisan priorities
of public safety, victim rights, and efficient private sector
utilization.
SEC. 3. DIRECT ACCESS FOR ELIGIBLE PRIVATE FORENSIC DNA LABORATORIES TO
THE NATIONAL DNA INDEX SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall allow eligible
privately owned and operated forensic evidence DNA testing laboratories
to directly upload qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index
System (NDIS).
(b) Regulations.--The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation shall issue regulations to implement and carry out
this section, including criteria for eligibility, procedures for direct
upload, security and privacy safeguards, and any other requirements
necessary to ensure compliance with Federal law, not later than six
months after the date of enactment.
(c) Limitation of Authority.--Nothing in this Act shall be
construed to grant privately owned and operated forensic DNA
laboratories access to search, query, or retrieve information from the
National DNA Index System beyond the authorized submission of
qualifying DNA profiles in accordance with Federal Bureau of
Investigation regulations and applicable law.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``privately owned and operated forensic
evidence DNA testing laboratory'' means a private DNA forensic
evidence testing laboratory that--
(A) has been accredited for a minimum of five
consecutive years to the ISO/IEC 17025 standards by a
nationally recognized nonprofit professional
association of persons actively involved in forensic
science;
(B) undergoes external audits every two years that
demonstrate compliance with the Quality Assurance
Standards established by the Director of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation;
(C) demonstrates compliance with the limited access
requirements for DNA samples and records in accordance
with Federal law;
(D) demonstrates compliance with the provisions of
the NDIS Memorandum of Understanding and the NDIS
Operational Procedures Manual; and
(E) is not owned or managed by a governmental
organization.
(2) The term ``qualifying DNA profiles'' means DNA profiles
that meet the standards and eligibility requirements for entry
into the National DNA Index System, as determined by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(3) The term ``National DNA Index System'' or ``NDIS''
means the index established under section 12592 of title 34,
United States Code.
SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
The Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall make such conforming amendments
to regulations, policies, and procedures (including updates to the NDIS
Memorandum of Understanding and the NDIS Operational Procedures Manual)
as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect on the date of its enactment, except
that the requirement to issue regulations under section 3(b) shall
apply as specified in that subsection.
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