DHS Biodetection Improvement Act

The bill would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct an assessment of how DHS has used Department of Energy national laboratories and sites for research and development related to DHS missions. Within 180 days of enactment, the Secretary would be required to submit that assessment to the relevant House and Senate committees, along with a strategy for future biodetection research and development conducted in coordination with those DOE labs.

The strategy would need to cover four areas: identifying biodetection technologies that meet DHS mission needs; developing an acquisition and procurement plan to deploy those technologies to existing BioWatch jurisdictions; conducting periodic external evaluations to find gaps and failure points; and assisting federal, state, local, tribal, and private-sector partners in defining requirements for future environmental biodetection programs. The bill would also require a follow-up progress report to Congress within one year of enactment. It would not appropriate any funds or itself authorize any new program.

The Department of Homeland Security and its Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, which would carry out the assessment and strategy; Department of Energy national laboratories, which would be evaluated as research partners; and state, local, and tribal governments participating in BioWatch jurisdictions, which could ultimately receive improved biodetection technologies under any resulting procurement plan.

If the strategy leads to updated procurement of biodetection technology, BioWatch jurisdictions — cities and regions that rely on environmental sensors to detect airborne biological threats — could receive more capable equipment. For now, the bill's direct effect is limited to requiring a planning document; it does not itself fund or mandate any new technology deployment.

The Secretary of Homeland Security would have 180 days to submit an assessment and strategy to the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The strategy must address technology identification, an acquisition and procurement plan consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, periodic external evaluations of identified technologies, and partnership with governments and the private sector on program requirements. A follow-up update reporting on implementation challenges is due within one year of enactment. No rulemaking is required; the bill is primarily a reporting and planning mandate.