Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans today highlighted bills members are leading to combat and stop influence from the Chinese Communist Party in American medical research. E&C Republicans introduced seven bills that increase transparency, improve oversight, and protect biomedical intellectual property through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“To win the future, America must secure our biomedical research from foreign competitors, especially the Chinese Communist Party,” said Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY). “The CCP has a long track record of stealing our intellectual property and exploiting our cutting-edge research for its own gain. If we don’t do a better job of safeguarding our research, both America’s national security and our global leadership will be more at risk. The pandemic has only made the need for action more urgent. Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee are leading with solutions to hold NIH and HHS accountable for their responsibilities to protect national security, better protect intellectual property from foreign influence, and stop taxpayer dollars from supporting risky gain of function research in China.”
H.R. 5478, Protecting the Integrity of our Biomedical Research Act of 2021 (Rep. Gus Bilirakis)
Directs the HHS Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require disclosure of participation in foreign talent programs, including providing related documents to HHS, as a condition of receiving NIH funding.
Dunn – H.R. 5515, Protecting Americans’ Genomic Information Act of 2021 (Rep. Neal Dunn)
Directs the HHS Secretary to consult with national security experts to ensure that biomedical research involving human genomic information appropriately considers national security risks.
H.R. 5626, Securing and Fortifying Everyday (SAFE) Biomedical Research Act (Rep. John Joyce)
Establishes new duties for the Director of the NIH related to national security, including consultation with relevant agencies regarding research that may be relevant to national security matters and ensuring recipients of NIH funding adhere to appropriate technology practices to secure identifiable, sensitive information.
H.R. 6305, Protect America’s Biomedical Research Enterprise Act of 2021 (Rep. Richard Hudson)
Tasks HHS with developing a framework for assessing and managing national security risks, andimplementing controls to ensure appropriate data access. Requires the HHS Secretary to identify and regularly update ways to improve the protection of intellectual property, proprietary information, and identifiable data in biomedical research, develop a framework for evaluating emerging threats related to foreign influence on biomedical research, and make recommendations to protect proprietary information.
H.R. 6363, Genetic Sequencing Accountability Act (Rep. Larry Bucshon)
Authorizes a GAO study to assess the extent to which HHS funds are used for human genomic sequencing services or genetic services provided by entities, or subsidiaries of such entities, organized under the laws of a country or countries of concern, as determined by the Director of National Intelligence or the heads of other Federal departments and agencies.
H.R. 5442, Fix Nondisclosure of Influence in Health (NIH) Research Act (Rep. John Curtis)
Requires the HHS Secretary to submit an annual report to Congress on actions taken to document, prevent, and address cases of research misconduct related to foreign influence.
H.R. 5270, Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen Research Act of 2021 (Rep. Buddy Carter)
Places a five-year moratorium on all NIH-funded research would confer attributes to any influenza virus or coronavirus, such that the virus would have enhanced pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals via the respiratory route.
