H.R. 7832

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7832 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7832

To establish the America's Living Library Project, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 5, 2026

Mr. Khanna (for himself, Mrs. Bice, and Mr. Auchincloss) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, House 
Administration, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To establish the America's Living Library Project, 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 ``America's Living Library Act''.

SEC. 2. AMERICA'S LIVING LIBRARY PROJECT.

(a) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Control.--The term ``control'' means having the 
ability, directly or indirectly, to determine (without regard 
to whether exercised through 1 or more corporate structures) 
the manner in which an entity conducts activities, through any 
means, including--
(A) ownership interest;
(B) authority to commit the real or financial 
assets of the entity;
(C) position as a director, officer, or partner of 
the entity; or
(D) contractual arrangement.
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
Department of the Interior.
(3) Foreign entity of concern.--The term ``foreign entity 
of concern'' has the meaning given the term in section 40207 of 
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18741).
(4) High-priority species.--The term ``high-priority 
species'' has the meaning given the term by the Secretary, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, and the Director of the National Museum of Natural 
History of the Smithsonian Institution, based on factors such 
as the conservation status, economic, cultural, or ecological 
value, biomedical or public health relevance, and rarity of the 
species.
(5) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
meaning given the term ``Indian tribe'' in section 102 of the 
Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
5130).
(6) Office.--The term ``office'' means the office 
established or designated under subsection (e)(1).
(7) Program.--The term ``program'' means the America's 
Living Library Project established under subsection (b).
(8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of the Interior (acting through the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey).
(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a pilot program, 
to be known as the ``America's Living Library Project''.
(c) Purpose.--The purpose of the program is to facilitate the 
collection of new genomic data from species that are found in units of 
the National Park System.
(d) Interagency Coordination.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary 
shall coordinate--
(A) the collection, cataloging, and whole-genome 
sequencing of samples from animals, plants, fungi, and 
microbes found on selected units of the National Park 
System, subject to--
(i) applicable permitting and consultation 
requirements under the Endangered Species Act 
of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), and 
the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.);
(ii) applicable permitting requirements 
under section 42 of title 18, United States 
Code; and
(iii) applicable requirements under the 
Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et 
seq.);
(B) the establishment of a publicly available 
genomic database for resulting genomic data collected 
under the program, including long-read sequence data, 
genome assemblies, annotations, and associated 
metadata, except that the database shall withhold from 
public release any personally identifiable information 
and any sensitive collection locality information, 
including precise collection site locations or 
coordinates, as determined to be appropriate by the 
Secretary to protect personnel, specimens, and 
resources;
(C) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, 
the integration of the Integrated Taxonomic Information 
System and any other systems, such as the PLANTS 
Database of the Department of Agriculture and the World 
Register of Marine Species, to provide scientific name 
concepts for organisms to accompany the genomic 
database; and
(D) the long-term storage of samples collected 
under the program.
(2) Partner agencies.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall coordinate with the Director of the National 
Park Service, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the 
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Director of the 
National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National 
Institutes of Health, and any other appropriate Federal agency.
(e) Establishment of Program Office.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a new, or 
designate an existing, office within the United States 
Geological Survey to administer the program.
(2) Staff.--The Secretary shall hire staff to carry out the 
program in accordance with this section.
(3) Authority.--The office shall have the authority--
(A) to carry out the program in accordance with 
this Act;
(B) subject to such terms as the Secretary may 
determine appropriate, to enter into and implement any 
contract, lease, cooperative agreement, or other 
transaction that is necessary to carry out the program 
with--
(i) any Federal agency, including the 
Department of Agriculture and the Department of 
Defense; or
(ii) any public or private person or 
entity;
(C) to develop mechanisms to receive in-kind 
contributions from biotechnology companies, subject to 
requirements that the mechanisms developed shall--
(i) limit in-kind contributions to the 
provision of resources to carry out the 
program, such as materials, instrumentation, or 
technological capabilities (such as 
deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing); and
(ii) include vetting for, and prevention 
of, conflicts of interest; and
(D) to use, subject to the consent of the 
applicable Federal agency, the services, personnel, and 
facilities of any other Federal agency.
(f) Selection of Units of the National Park System.--
(1) Initial selection.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, based on the criteria described 
in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall select 5 units of the 
National Park System at which to carry out the program 
initially.
(2) Selection criteria.--The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Director of the National Park Service, shall select 
units of the National Park System under this subsection based 
on objective criteria that take into account--
(A) the biological landscape of the unit of the 
National Park System;
(B) the feasibility of implementation at, and 
operational readiness of, the unit of the National Park 
System;
(C) the quality of the education and public 
engagement opportunities at the unit of the National 
Park System;
(D) the research value and alignment of the unit of 
the National Park System with program priorities, 
including, where appropriate, genomic sequencing and 
associated metadata needs;
(E) the geographic and ecological diversity across 
the National Park System; and
(F) any other criteria established by the 
Secretary.
(3) Additional units of the national park system.--Not 
later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall select, in accordance with the criteria under 
paragraph (2), an additional 20 units of the National Park 
System at which to carry out the program.
(4) Notice of selections.--Not later than 15 days after the 
date on which a unit of the National Park System is selected 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall make publicly 
available on a Department website a notice that--
(A) lists any units of the National Park System 
selected as part of that selection process; and
(B) provides, for each unit of the National Park 
System selected as part of that selection process, a 
brief statement of reasons describing how the selection 
satisfies the criteria described in paragraph (2).
(g) Program Requirements.--
(1) Data standards.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall--
(A) leverage existing and emerging data standards 
to ensure--
(i) high-quality data are obtained under 
the program; and
(ii) program data are considered usable and 
interoperable, with appropriate metadata to be 
included;
(B) ensure that data outputs under the program--
(i)(I) meet applicable Federal data 
standards for biological data; or
(II) if there are no applicable Federal 
data standards described in subclause (I), meet 
data standards for the program established by 
the Secretary, in consultation with relevant 
Federal agencies, based on findability, 
accessibility, interoperability, and 
reusability data principles and using industry 
best practices;
(ii) as appropriate, comply with Department 
policies relating to species listed as 
endangered or threatened under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); 
and
(iii) are updated to comply with any 
applicable United States Geological Survey 
standards for biological data; and
(C) ensure that appropriate cybersecurity and 
access safeguards are implemented to protect the data 
generated or stored under the program, including by 
ensuring that data outputs under the program are 
updated as necessary to meet applicable Federal 
cybersecurity standards for genomic data, including 
controls consistent with the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology special publications 800-53 
(relating to Security and Privacy Controls for 
Information Systems and Organizations) and 800-111 
(relating to Guide to Storage Encryption Technologies 
for End User Devices) or any successor framework.
(2) Long-term storage.--The Secretary shall consult with 
the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the National 
Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution with 
respect to storage capabilities for the management and long-
term storage of samples collected under the program, subject to 
the following:
(A) Ownership of any samples collected under the 
program shall not be transferred, but samples may be 
housed with the Smithsonian Institution, the Department 
of Agriculture, or another qualified repository 
pursuant to a written repository agreement, which shall 
provide that access to samples collected under the 
program shall be managed by the respective 
institutional collection managers, with--
(i) the natural history collections to be 
managed by the Director of the National Museum 
of Natural History of the Smithsonian 
Institution; and
(ii) the germplasm repository to be managed 
by the Secretary of Agriculture.
(B) Before any samples are collected under the 
program, the Secretary, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the 
National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian 
Institution, shall--
(i) evaluate the species to be sampled to 
identify which species need to be collected for 
long-term storage;
(ii) from among the species identified 
under clause (i), identify which species should 
be considered to be high-priority species;
(iii) ensure that all samples proposed for 
collection and long-term storage under the 
program are evaluated in accordance with 
appropriate standards identified by the 
Secretary to minimize the risk of collecting or 
storing disease vectors, pathogens, or other 
harmful biological agents; and
(iv) require that any microbial or pathogen 
material identified through an evaluation under 
clause (iii) as requiring enhanced biosafety or 
biosecurity measures shall be--
(I) accessioned and stored 
separately from other program samples 
in a distinct, access-controlled 
collection; and
(II) handled and stored only in 
facilities with containment and 
operational controls appropriate to the 
identified risk, consistent with 
applicable Federal biosafety and 
biosecurity requirements.
(C) Any samples identified for long-term storage 
under subparagraph (B)(i) shall be--
(i) collected and stored under the program; 
and
(ii) preserved in the natural history 
collections to be managed by the Director of 
the National Museum of Natural History of the 
Smithsonian Institution for the purposes of 
later research and long-term preservation.
(D) Any high-priority species identified under 
subparagraph (B)(ii) shall be collected for storage in 
each of--
(i) the natural history collections to be 
managed by the Director of the National Museum 
of Natural History of the Smithsonian 
Institution; and
(ii) the germplasm repository to be managed 
by the Secretary of Agriculture.
(E) Any physical samples collected under the 
program shall not be transferred, exported, or loaned 
outside the United States.
(F) Any physical storage, curation, and laboratory 
processing of samples collected under the program shall 
occur within facilities located in the United States.
(3) Sampling and collection procedures.--In carrying out 
the program, the Secretary shall--
(A) establish sampling and collection procedures 
and policies consistent with applicable Department 
rules and standards, including permitting and 
consultation requirements under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), section 42 of 
title 18, United States Code, the Lacey Act Amendments 
of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.), and the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.); and
(B) develop sampling plans that leverage existing 
research and monitoring programs within the Department.
(4) Sequencing and data processing.--In carrying out the 
program, the Secretary shall--
(A) partner with the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
Director of the National Museum of Natural History of 
the Smithsonian Institution, and the heads of other 
applicable Federal agencies to sequence genomic 
information from samples collected under the program;
(B) develop and use standardized sequencing 
protocols to ensure consistency and comparability of 
data; and
(C) incorporate automated data processing and 
quality checks to ensure the reliability of the data.
(h) Tribal Consultation.--In implementing the program, the 
Secretary shall engage in consultation with Indian Tribes in accordance 
with section 306108 of title 54, United States Code, Department 
policies on Tribal consultation, and other applicable law.
(i) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress an implementation plan for the program that 
provides the following:
(1) A description of the expansion of genomic sequencing 
under the program to additional units of the National Park 
System under subsection (f)(3), including the consideration of 
partnerships with companies, contractors, and third parties to 
assist the office in carrying out the expansion.
(2) An outline of methods in which the program could be 
expanded to include other federally managed land and Federal 
programs and facilities that manage biological resources, 
including land and programs or facilities managed by the Bureau 
of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service, and the Forest Service, including units of the 
National Wildlife Refuge System and units of the National Fish 
Hatchery System.
(3) A plan to facilitate, prior to public release, 
expedited access pathways or other non-public services 
(including bulk export application programming interfaces and 
any computer resources supported by the program within the 
United States) for the development, training, or evaluation of 
artificial intelligence models, to be limited to entities 
organized under the laws of the United States that are not 
owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by any foreign 
entity of concern.
(j) Reports.--
(1) Preliminary report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
methodological review and report of preliminary 
findings of the program.
(B) Inclusion.--The review and report submitted 
under subparagraph (A) shall include a plan for the 
sustainable and long-term funding of the program with 
recommendations relating to--
(i) a graduated subscription model 
developed in coordination with the Director of 
the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology and the Director of the National 
Institutes of Health for the database 
established under subsection (d)(1), the cost 
of which shall be based on the size and usage 
of the accessing organization; and
(ii) potential partnerships with 
institutions of higher education, philanthropic 
organizations, and nongovernmental 
organizations, such as the National Park 
Foundation, to secure grants and additional 
funding for the program in accordance with 
applicable policies of the Department.
(2) Final report.--As soon as practicable after the date on 
which the program is terminated under subsection (l), the 
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
methodological review and report that describes the final 
findings with respect to the program.
(k) Program Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this Act--
(1) to the Secretary for program oversight and management 
of the conduct of genome sequencing in selected units of the 
National Park System--
(A) $16,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 
2028;
(B) $36,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(C) $54,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2030 and 
2031;
(2) to the National Museum of Natural History of the 
Smithsonian Institution for sample storage--
(A) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 
2028;
(B) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(C) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2030 and 
2031;
(3) to the National Center for Agricultural Utilization 
Research of the Department of Agriculture for sample storage--
(A) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 
2028;
(B) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(C) $9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2030 and 
2031;
(4) to the National Animal Germplasm Program of the 
Department of Agriculture for sample storage--
(A) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 
2028;
(B) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(C) $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2030 and 
2031; and
(5) to the National Center for Biotechnology Information of 
the National Institutes of Health for program data storage--
(A) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 
2028;
(B) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(C) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2030 and 
2031.
(l) Termination of Authority.--The authority to carry out the 
program terminates on the date that is 10 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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