Risky Research Review Act
Latest action · Sep 17, 2025 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 164.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 5, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Risky Research Review Act
This bill establishes the Life Sciences Research Security Board to oversee the award of federal funding for high-risk life sciences research. High-risk life sciences research means the study of an organism, virus, or related product that could be misapplied to pose a significant threat to the public or could enhance the transmissibility or virulence of certain high-risk pathogens (e.g., Ebola).
Specifically, the bill establishes the board as an independent agency that must review proposed high-risk life sciences research, determine whether a federal agency may award funding for the research, and determine minimum required controls for funded research. Entities that are seeking federal funding must attest to whether their research is high-risk life sciences research. Agencies must certify the validity of these attestations and submit proposed high-risk life sciences research to the board. Agencies must also notify the board of intended awards for other life sciences research for potential review.
In making its determinations, the board must consider specified factors, including whether the benefits of the research outweigh the risks. The bill prohibits agencies from awarding federal funding for high-risk life sciences research without approval of the board or for life sciences research currently under board review. The board may also review awards that were made before the bill’s enactment.
Entities that fail to properly attest to the nature of their research may lose their eligibility for funding. Additionally, agency employees who fail to comply with the bill's requirements are subject to disciplinary action.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 5, 2025.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Original | Mar 5, 2025 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 17, 2025Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul without amendment. Without written report.
- Sep 17, 2025Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 164.
- Jul 30, 2025Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Mar 5, 2025Introduced in Senate
- Mar 5, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1864 | Risky Research Review Act | Related bill | Mar 5, 2025 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Accounting and auditing
- Advisory bodies
- Biological and life sciences
- Congressional oversight
- Employee performance
- Federal officials
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Health
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Public contracts and procurement
- Research administration and funding
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 17, 2025Reported to Senate
- Mar 5, 2025Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.