Sponsors (2)
The bill creates a new board to strengthen oversight and transparency of sensitive life-sciences research—boosting biosecurity and reducing conflicts of interest—at the cost of added administrative expense, reporting/privacy burdens for researchers, and potential slowdowns in collaboration and technology transfer.
Scientists and researchers gain clearer federal oversight of sensitive life-sciences research through a dedicated Life Sciences Research Security Board, improving coordination and biosecurity decision-making.
Members of the board must file financial disclosures, increasing transparency and reducing conflicts of interest in research-security decisions.
Taxpayers may gain better protection against misuse of federal research funds through strengthened oversight of life-sciences projects.
Researchers and institutions could face new compliance requirements that slow collaborative research and technology transfer, delaying scientific progress and commercialization.
Researchers and federal employees serving on the board may face additional reporting burdens and potential privacy exposure from mandated financial disclosures, which could deter participation.
Establishing and operating a new federal board will create administrative costs that could increase taxpayer spending.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal Life Sciences Research Security Board and requires its members to file federal financial-disclosure reports.
Official title: Amend title 31, United States Code, to establish the Life Sciences Research Security Board, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 5, 2025 by Rand Paul · Last progress March 5, 2025
Creates a new Life Sciences Research Security Board in federal law and requires members of that board to file federal financial disclosure reports. The Board is added as a new chapter to Subtitle V of Title 31, U.S. Code, and the ethics/financial-disclosure statute (5 U.S.C. §13103(f)) is amended to explicitly include Board members among officials who must submit reports.