April 24, 2024 - REEDLEY, Calif. - Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) has unveiled H.R. 8065 - Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation that would address gaps in federal law in the regulation of highly infectious agents and high-containment laboratories. 

This legislation will address gaps in the regulation of labs revealed in the investigative report by Costa and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“Over the past year of working with local, state, and federal leaders on investigating and cleaning up the illegal lab in Reedley, it became clear that changes were needed on the federal level to ensure public safety. This legislation is the first step to closing the gap in the regulation of labs and.  will prevent bad actors from taking advantage of the public health system. It creates tracking, better review of anyone working with infectious diseases and deeper cooperation between local, state, and federal agencies.” said Congressman Jim Costa.

"The Reedley incident highlighted a gap in the nation’s bio security. Any city around this country could have dozens of deadly pathogens stored next to sensitive locations and be completely unaware of it. Congressman Costa took this issue seriously from the very beginning and understood the national implications. His proposed legislation puts us on a path to closing that critical gap that will help keep every American safe from the hazards like those like those discovered in the Reedley lab.” said Nicole Zieba, City Manager of Reedley.

“The County of Fresno appreciates Congressman Costa for taking proactive steps by introducing legislation that will address issues experienced during the response to the unlicensed laboratory in Reedley. The proposed legislation will fill gaps in our national biosecurity surveillance while establishing a standardized framework for tracking the movement of highly infectious materials. These measures will enable authorities to identify and mitigate potential risks more effectively.” said Joe Prado, Assistant Director, Fresno County Department of Public Health.

The Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2024 would address the gaps in federal law outlined in the congressional report by Costa and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The legislation would:

• Require sellers of highly infectious agents to keep a logbook of all sales and maintain those records for at least five years, including identification of the purchaser(s).

• Require regular evaluations of high-containment laboratories in the United States after designating a single Federal official to lead the overview.

• Requires a “Public Health and Biosecurity Team” to be a single point of contact for state and local agencies regarding laboratory biosafety and biosecurity questions. 

• Requires a feasibility study on establishing a database of biolabs that is accessible to state and local officials.

The text of the bill is available HERE. 

A summary of the bill is available HERE. 

Full recording of the press conference is available HERE. 
Source: Congressman Jim Costa