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On January 29, 2026, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026 (S. 3741) to establish a federal biosecurity framework. According to Cotton’s February 4, 2026, press release, the bill “will require gene synthesis providers screen their orders and customers for bad actors or dangerous pathogens, and will ensure that the U.S. government adopts a flexible and agile approach to biosecurity that will ensure American leadership in biosecurity.” The legislation would:
- Direct the Secretary of Commerce to require gene synthesis providers screen their orders and customers to ensure bad actors are not ordering dangerous sequences;
- Establish a biotechnology governance sandbox at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which would provide a place for the testing of biosecurity tools and enable more flexible biosecurity policymaking to keep up with a rapidly advancing field;
- Require an assessment of the current landscape of federal biosecurity authorities and an evaluation and implementation plan of how to streamline oversight and address gaps; and
- Require the executive branch to begin carrying out such an implementation plan, within confines of current law.
