Sponsors (3)
The bill strengthens agricultural biosecurity and deters deliberate or risky imports to protect farmers and the food supply, but it increases criminal penalties and regulatory discretion that could create compliance uncertainty, legal risk for researchers and businesses, and potential for politicized enforcement.
Farmers, livestock producers, and rural communities will face a lower risk of invasive or engineered agricultural pathogens entering the U.S. because unauthorized imports of designated high‑risk pathogens are criminalized.
Farmers, the agricultural economy, and consumers will gain greater protection for the food supply and reduced risk of widespread crop or livestock losses because the bill deters risky imports.
USDA, federal and state regulators will have clearer authority to define and update the list of high‑risk agricultural pathogens, allowing more responsive risk management as threats evolve.
Scientists, researchers, diagnostic labs, and small businesses could face criminal liability for importing materials if regulatory definitions are broad or unclear, raising legal risk for legitimate scientific and commercial activity.
Farmers, researchers, importers, and trade partners may encounter compliance uncertainty and slower legitimate scientific, diagnostic, or trade activities because the critical pathogen list is delegated to USDA regulation rather than fixed statute.
Defendants, taxpayers, and the justice system could face higher legal costs and more aggressive enforcement because the bill criminalizes certain imports with a $1,000,000 economic‑damage aggravator that may prompt protracted prosecutions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly or recklessly import designated high-risk agricultural pathogens without required USDA or agency authorization, with three aggravating factors that elevate the offense.
Introduced June 13, 2025 by Zach Nunn · Last progress June 13, 2025
Creates a new federal crime making it illegal to knowingly or recklessly import certain biological agents, toxins, or organisms designated as “high-risk agricultural pathogens” without a required USDA or other agency permit. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to define which agents qualify as high-risk, defines “recklessly” as conscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk, and lists three aggravating factors that elevate the offense: concealment of origin, acting for or funded by a foreign government, or causing more than $1,000,000 in economic damage.