6 U.S.C. § 106 — Update of national biodefense implementation plan

(a) In general. The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense, Agriculture, and Homeland Security — along with every other department or agency with biodefense responsibilities, such as the Department of State — must jointly update the National Biodefense Implementation Plan (first developed under section 104 of this title) to clearly document the processes, roles, and responsibilities tied to the National Biodefense Strategy. They do this after reviewing the biodefense threat assessment described in subsection (d) and any relevant outside input, and in consultation with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and, as appropriate, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. (b) Specific updates. The updated Implementation Plan must: (1) describe federal departments' and agencies' roles and responsibilities, including internal and external coordination procedures, for identifying and sharing information, consistent with section 104(b)(4) and each agency's existing statutory authority; (2) describe roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes, including decisions on using resources for effective risk management across the government; (3) describe each biodefense department's or agency's resource plans for carrying out the strategy within its own jurisdiction, including for the Biodefense Coordination Team as appropriate; (4) describe guidance and methods for analyzing collected data, including non-federal resources and capabilities where practical; and (5) describe and update short-, medium-, and long-term goals for carrying out the National Biodefense Strategy, and metrics for meeting each goal. (c) Submittal to Congress. The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense, Agriculture, and Homeland Security must submit the updated Implementation Plan to the appropriate congressional committees no later than 6 months after the assessment in subsection (d)(1)(A) is completed. (d) Updated biodefense threat assessment. (1) The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense, Agriculture, and Homeland Security, working jointly with the Director of National Intelligence and other relevant agency heads, must: assess current and potential biological threats to the United States — natural or man-made, accidental or deliberate, including catastrophic threats such as a pandemic; submit the assessment's findings to designated federal officials and the appropriate congressional committees no later than 1 year after January 1, 2021; brief those committees on the findings within 30 days after submitting them; update the assessment every two years as appropriate, sharing the updated findings the same way; and brief the committees whenever an assessment is updated. (2) These assessments must be submitted in an unclassified format, with a classified annex added as appropriate. (e) "Appropriate congressional committees" means: the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services; the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; the House and Senate Committees on Homeland Security (and Governmental Affairs, in the Senate); the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. (f) Rule of construction. Nothing in this section changes, limits, or duplicates any federal department's or agency's existing statutory or practical roles, responsibilities, authorities, or activities related to biodefense or to carrying out the National Biodefense Strategy.