Sponsors (5)
The bill creates a focused NIH institute to strengthen and protect biomedical research operations and governance, at the cost of higher federal spending and the risk of reallocating limited research funds away from other priorities.
Scientists and biomedical researchers gain a dedicated NIH institute that provides new, centralized research funding, coordination, and institutional support.
Federal employees and institute leadership have clearer governance because the new institute is covered by existing appointment and leadership rules, reducing administrative uncertainty.
Hospitals, health systems, and institute personnel gain stronger legal protection from interference or obstruction because 18 U.S.C. §216 protections are extended to the new institute, enabling DOJ enforcement.
Scientists, researchers, and hospitals may face reduced funding for other research areas because creating the new institute risks duplicating existing NIH programs or shifting limited research dollars.
Taxpayers may bear higher costs because establishing and operating a new federal institute increases federal spending and administrative expenses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a new NIH national research institute to federal law and updates cross‑references and penalty provisions to include it.
Introduced March 5, 2026 by Rashida Tlaib · Last progress March 5, 2026
Creates a new National Institute for Biomedical Research and Development within the statutory list of NIH national research institutes and makes related technical updates to federal law. It also establishes an official short title for the Act. Updates to the United States Code insert the new institute into the list of NIH institutes, adjust appointment/term cross-references so the institute is covered by existing director rules, and extend existing criminal penalty and injunction language to apply to the new institute where similar entities are named. The bill makes only statutory/terminology changes and does not itself appropriate funding.