Web of Biological Data Act of 2026

[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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