Sponsors (4)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly or recklessly import USDA-designated high-risk agricultural pathogens without required permits, with enhanced culpability for concealment, foreign government involvement, or >$1M damage.
The bill strengthens protection of U.S. agriculture by criminalizing unpermitted importation of designated high‑risk pathogens and giving USDA rulemaking power, but it increases agency discretion and criminal exposure in ways that could chill legitimate research, complicate international cooperation, and produce legal disputes over enforcement.
Farmers, agricultural workers, and rural communities: reduces the risk of crop and livestock outbreaks by criminalizing the unpermitted import of pathogens designated as high-risk, improving protection of the food supply.
State governments and federal agencies (USDA): gives the USDA authority to identify and regulate 'high-risk agricultural pathogens' through rulemaking, enabling targeted prevention and faster updates to controls as risks change.
Farmers, consumers, and the agricultural economy: increases penalties (including aggravated penalties for concealment, foreign-government funding, or >$1,000,000 economic damage), which can deter high‑impact misconduct that would harm agriculture and supply chains.
Scientists, researchers, universities, and small biotech firms: legitimate import of biological materials could carry felony exposure if the statute or implementing definitions are broad or permits are difficult to obtain, chilling research and commercial activity.
Scientists, importers, and labs: delegating the definition of 'high-risk agricultural pathogens' to the Secretary of Agriculture creates broad agency discretion and legal uncertainty about what triggers criminal liability, raising compliance burdens and prosecution risk.
Foreign traders, international research partners, and importers: creating an aggravating factor for conduct 'on behalf of or funded by a foreign government' could complicate prosecutions, raise diplomatic concerns, and chill legitimate international collaboration.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish criminal penalties for the reckless importation or handling of dangerous agricultural pathogens.
Introduced June 13, 2025 by Zach Nunn · Last progress June 13, 2025
Creates a new federal crime for knowingly or recklessly importing biological agents, toxins, or organisms designated as “high-risk agricultural pathogens” without the required USDA (or other agency) permit or authorization. The law allows the Secretary of Agriculture to define which agents qualify as high-risk by regulation and increases culpability for concealment, foreign government involvement, or when the act causes more than $1,000,000 in economic damage. The bill defines “recklessly” as conscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk and directs that the list of covered pathogens be published by the Secretary of Agriculture; it does not appropriate funds or modify other laws beyond adding the new criminal offense to federal statute.