H.R. 7916

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7916 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7916

To amend title 34, United States Code, to authorize eligible privately 
owned and operated forensic DNA testing laboratories to directly upload 
qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 12, 2026

Mr. Nehls introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 34, United States Code, to authorize eligible privately 
owned and operated forensic DNA testing laboratories to directly upload 
qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System, 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 ``CODIS Access Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Congress recognizes the essential role that publicly 
operated forensic laboratories and their dedicated scientific 
professionals play in supporting law enforcement 
investigations, administering justice, and protecting public 
safety. However, increasing case volumes, persistent DNA 
testing backlogs, and the challenges associated with 
implementing emerging forensic technologies within government 
systems can delay the timely processing of critical evidence. 
These delays may hinder the identification and apprehension of 
violent offenders, allowing serial perpetrators of crimes such 
as rape and homicide to remain unidentified and potentially 
continue victimizing additional individuals. Congress further 
finds that strategic public-private partnerships with 
accredited forensic laboratories can expand testing capacity, 
accelerate the processing of DNA evidence, and provide access 
to advanced technologies and specialized expertise. Such 
partnerships can also reduce delays in DNA profile entry into 
the National DNA Index System, accelerate investigative leads, 
increase case resolution rates, reduce burdens on publicly 
operated laboratories, enhance justice for victims and their 
families, and help prevent future crimes.
(2) Accredited private forensic DNA laboratories, meeting 
the same FBI Quality Assurance Standards and ISO/IEC 17025 
requirements as public laboratories, are currently barred from 
direct uploads to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), 
resulting in mandatory and costly redundant reviews that delay 
investigations by days to years.
(3) Restricting CODIS access to public laboratories is 
detrimental to national security and public safety, as violent 
offenders often cross jurisdictions, while private labs already 
process thousands of cases annually for Federal, State, local, 
military, and homeland security agencies.
(4) Precedent exists for non-law enforcement entities to 
officially perform traditional criminal justice agency 
functions, including the Department of Justice's partnership 
with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 
(NCMEC) which affords it vital access to the National Crime 
Information Center (NCIC) to help solve missing and 
unidentified children's cases across the United States.
(5) The United States Government routinely relies on 
accredited private entities and government contractors to 
perform highly sensitive national security, intelligence, and 
law enforcement support functions, including cybersecurity 
operations, forensic analysis, intelligence processing, and 
classified systems management under strict Federal oversight 
and security requirements. The use of qualified private 
forensic laboratories to support DNA identification efforts 
represents a continuation of established Federal practices of 
leveraging private sector expertise to advance public safety.
(6) Accredited private forensic DNA laboratories already 
perform forensic testing for Federal, State, local, military, 
and homeland security agencies while complying with the same 
FBI Quality Assurance Standards and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation 
requirements as public laboratories.
(7) Allowing qualified private forensic DNA laboratories to 
upload qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System 
under strict regulatory safeguards is consistent with 
longstanding Federal practices of utilizing accredited private 
entities to enhance national security, public safety, and 
investigative capabilities.
(8) The societal and economic costs of unsolved violent 
crimes are immense, with estimates of $122,000 per rape and 
$1.4 million per murder in medical, productivity, legal, and 
suffering-related expenses. Timely offender identification and 
apprehension also prevent future crimes as rapists commit on 
average more than 7 sexual assaults per year.
(9) Granting direct CODIS upload authority to eligible 
private laboratories would accelerate case resolutions, 
increase DNA matches and arrests, reduce public lab burdens, 
prevent additional offenses, and advance bipartisan priorities 
of public safety, victim rights, and efficient private sector 
utilization.

SEC. 3. DIRECT ACCESS FOR ELIGIBLE PRIVATE FORENSIC DNA LABORATORIES TO 
THE NATIONAL DNA INDEX SYSTEM.

(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall allow eligible 
privately owned and operated forensic evidence DNA testing laboratories 
to directly upload qualifying DNA profiles to the National DNA Index 
System (NDIS).
(b) Regulations.--The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau 
of Investigation shall issue regulations to implement and carry out 
this section, including criteria for eligibility, procedures for direct 
upload, security and privacy safeguards, and any other requirements 
necessary to ensure compliance with Federal law, not later than six 
months after the date of enactment.
(c) Limitation of Authority.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed to grant privately owned and operated forensic DNA 
laboratories access to search, query, or retrieve information from the 
National DNA Index System beyond the authorized submission of 
qualifying DNA profiles in accordance with Federal Bureau of 
Investigation regulations and applicable law.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``privately owned and operated forensic 
evidence DNA testing laboratory'' means a private DNA forensic 
evidence testing laboratory that--
(A) has been accredited for a minimum of five 
consecutive years to the ISO/IEC 17025 standards by a 
nationally recognized nonprofit professional 
association of persons actively involved in forensic 
science;
(B) undergoes external audits every two years that 
demonstrate compliance with the Quality Assurance 
Standards established by the Director of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation;
(C) demonstrates compliance with the limited access 
requirements for DNA samples and records in accordance 
with Federal law;
(D) demonstrates compliance with the provisions of 
the NDIS Memorandum of Understanding and the NDIS 
Operational Procedures Manual; and
(E) is not owned or managed by a governmental 
organization.
(2) The term ``qualifying DNA profiles'' means DNA profiles 
that meet the standards and eligibility requirements for entry 
into the National DNA Index System, as determined by the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(3) The term ``National DNA Index System'' or ``NDIS'' 
means the index established under section 12592 of title 34, 
United States Code.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

The Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall make such conforming amendments 
to regulations, policies, and procedures (including updates to the NDIS 
Memorandum of Understanding and the NDIS Operational Procedures Manual) 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

This Act shall take effect on the date of its enactment, except 
that the requirement to issue regulations under section 3(b) shall 
apply as specified in that subsection.
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