HouseH.R. 9307119th Congress
Web of Biological Data Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9307 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9307
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a centralized resource
for access to data to facilitate biological research through enabling
advanced computational methods such as artificial intelligence, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 11, 2026
Mr. Van Epps (for himself and Mr. Auchincloss) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a centralized resource
for access to data to facilitate biological research through enabling
advanced computational methods such as artificial intelligence, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Web of Biological Data Act of
2026''.
SEC. 2. WEB OF BIOLOGICAL DATA.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Advisory board.--The term ``advisory board'' means the
advisory board established under subsection (h).
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Laboratory selected under subsection (b)(1)(A).
(3) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(5) Web.--The term ``Web'' means the Web of Biological Data
established under subsection (b)(1)(A).
(b) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
(A) through a competitive process, award a grant to
a National Laboratory to establish a centralized data
resource, to be known as the ``Web of Biological
Data'', to facilitate biological research through
advanced computational methods such as artificial
intelligence; and
(B) establish a research and development program to
further data science relating to generating, storing,
curating, and managing biological data.
(2) Contents.--The Web shall--
(A) serve as a single point of entry for
researchers to access different sources of biological
data, especially those funded by the Federal
Government, by directly hosting data or providing
access to existing databases;
(B) have metrics and metadata to indicate data
quality, including usability, interoperability, and
completeness; and
(C) include tiered levels of cybersecurity
safeguards and access controls to protect different
types of biological data assets hosted in or connected
to the Web.
(c) Duties of Director.--As part of establishing the Web, the
Director may--
(1) enter into data sharing agreements, memoranda of
understanding, or other relevant contracts with other Federal
departments and agencies to integrate biological datasets into
the Web that are not hosted by the Department of Energy;
(2) enter into cost-sharing agreements with nongovernmental
entities to fund the Web;
(3) establish partnerships with other Federal departments
and agencies, academia, industry, and international partners
and allies to optimize usability and performance of the Web;
and
(4) carry out any other activities determined necessary by
the Secretary to advance United States biological data curation
and sharing.
(d) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with the
Secretary, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology of the House of Representatives an implementation plan for
the Web that describes--
(1) how the Director and the Secretary shall implement this
section;
(2) a plan for working with Federal departments and
agencies--
(A) to acquire data that was collected through
Federal funding; and
(B) to digitize biological samples that are
currently owned or funded by the Federal Government;
(3) the type of initial projects that shall be pursued
under the program established under subsection (b)(1)(B);
(4) a plan for exploring and implementing cost-sharing
agreements, including with philanthropy and industry, to assist
in cost-sharing for the Web;
(5) a cybersecurity plan for the Web; and
(6) how the Director will leverage partnerships with other
Federal departments and agencies, academia, and industry.
(e) Phase I.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Director shall--
(1) test an initial version of the Web, which shall--
(A) focus on specific biological data subtypes
selected in consultation with the advisory board,
representatives from other Federal departments and
agencies, and external stakeholders from industry and
academia;
(B) include a single point-of-entry interface for
biological data that--
(i) optimizes user experience and data
management;
(ii) is built around human-centered design
principles;
(iii) is built with the capability to
expand to other datasets and biological
datatypes beyond the initial version; and
(iv) is built with tiered security access;
(C) include initial frameworks, developed in
collaboration with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, for application programming interfaces
focusing on hosting an initial list of biological data
subtypes; and
(D) include appropriate cybersecurity and access
safeguards to protect data accessible by the Web,
including limiting access to adversarial countries and
countries that do not participate in reciprocal data
sharing, as determined by the Secretary;
(2) as part of developing the initial version of the Web
described in paragraph (1)--
(A) work with Federal departments and agencies to
acquire data that was collected through Federal
funding;
(B) develop cost-sharing agreements, including with
philanthropic and industry members, to fund the Web;
and
(C) work with biotechnology stakeholders to test
and evaluate the initial version and implement any
needed changes to ensure usability;
(3) select initial research projects to fund under the
research and development program established under subsection
(b)(1)(B); and
(4) submit a report to the committees described in
subsection (j) on the implementation of this subsection and
plans for carrying out subsection (f).
(f) Phase II.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall expand the Web--
(A) to be accessible to United States researchers;
(B) to accommodate different types of biological
data; and
(C) to be capable of adapting and expanding based
on the emergence of new biological data.
(2) Features.--The expanded version of the Web described in
paragraph (1) shall have the following features:
(A) A fully realized single point-of-entry
interface that--
(i) is connected to any dataset or database
that hosts federally funded data;
(ii) hosts biological data not already
stored by other Federal databases; and
(iii) hosts relevant bioinformatic tools
for optimized access and analysis.
(B) A full suite of interoperability frameworks
associated with different types of biological data,
metadata, and appropriate ontologies.
(C) An online interface that optimizes usability,
including the ability to rapidly search through
metadata across databases.
(D) Incorporation of human-centered design
principles into user interfaces.
(E) A standard quality and format for the hosted
biological data that is appropriate for training
artificial intelligence models.
(F) Restrictions on data sharing with countries
described in subsection (e)(1)(D).
(G) Appropriate cybersecurity requirements and
tiered safeguards related to the sensitivity of data to
prevent misuse of data.
(3) Other activities.--In the 3-year period following the
2-year period described in subsection (e), the Secretary shall
continue--
(A) to carry out the activities described in
subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of that
subsection; and
(B) to carry out the research and development
program established under subsection (b)(1)(B).
(g) Independent Assessment of Cybersecurity.--The Director shall
seek to enter into a contract with an external entity to conduct a
biannual independent assessment of the cybersecurity safeguards and
access controls of the Web.
(h) Advisory Board.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
Secretary selects a National Laboratory under subsection
(b)(1)(A), the Secretary shall establish an advisory board to
oversee the implementation of the Web and ensure that the Web
maximizes the usability of biological datasets across sectors.
(2) Chair.--The Chair of the advisory board shall be the
Director.
(3) Members.--The advisory board shall consist of 11
additional members, of whom--
(A) 4 shall be representatives of industry;
(B) 2 shall be representatives of academia;
(C) 2 shall be representatives of National
Laboratories (excluding the National Laboratory
selected under subsection (b)(1)(A)); and
(D) 3 shall be representatives of relevant Federal
departments and agencies, as determined by the
Director, of whom one or more shall be a subject-matter
expert on biosecurity research.
(4) FACA exemption.--Chapter 10 of title 5, United States
Code, shall not apply to the advisory board.
(i) Collaboration.--In developing the Web, the Director shall
collaborate with--
(1) Federal departments and agencies involved in biosafety
and biosecurity capabilities to assist with implementation of
proper cybersecurity and biosecurity safeguards;
(2) the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource
of the National Science Foundation to ensure integration of
well-curated biological data with cutting-edge foundational
artificial intelligence tools;
(3) the National Institute of Standards and Technology to
ensure that--
(A) the data included in the Web is formatted in a
way that is appropriate for training artificial
intelligence models; and
(B) associated application programming interfaces
and ontologies are sufficiently adaptable to changes in
biological data;
(4) the National Library of Medicine to ensure
compatibility and interoperability between the National Center
for Biotechnology information databases and the Web;
(5) a nongovernmental group that is qualified to implement
an online interface that maximizes usability by the public and
human-centered design; and
(6) any other Federal departments and agencies determined
relevant by the Director.
(j) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives a report describing--
(1) progress made in developing the Web, including--
(A) the quantity of data stored directly on the Web
and accessible through application programming
interfaces;
(B) collaborations with other Federal departments
and agencies; and
(C) user engagement;
(2)(A) any cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified by an
assessment carried out pursuant to subsection (g); and
(B) actions taken to address those vulnerabilities; and
(3) plans for maintenance, expansion, and development of
the Web in the subsequent year.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated--
(1) $30,000,000 for the period of the first 3 years
following the date of enactment of this Act to carry out
subsection (b)(1)(B);
(2) $310,000,000 for the period of the first 3 years
following the date of enactment of this Act to carry out
subsection (e); and
(3) on completion of subsection (e) and the submission of
the report described in paragraph (4) of that subsection,
$80,000,000 for each of the subsequent 2 years to carry out
this section.
(l) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to supersede, modify, or waive any applicable requirement
relating to privacy, informed consent, human-subjects protections, data
use limitations, or protections against unauthorized disclosure,
misuse, or reidentification applicable to biological data hosted in or
accessible through the Web.
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