{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases/van-epps-auchincloss-and-young-launch-effort-to-create-biological-data-resource-to-strengthen-us-research-competitiveness", "Van Epps, Auchincloss, and Young Launch Effort to Create Biological Data Resource to Strengthen U.S. Research Competitiveness", "2026-06-16", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Matt Van Epps", "V000139", "vanepps.house.gov", "vanepps", "https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Matt Van Epps (TN-07) and Rep. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04) introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Web of Biological Data Act of 2026, which will provide researchers access to high-quality biological data and will support the development of cutting-edge AI tools for scientific innovation.\n\nThis legislation was also introduced by Senator Todd Young of Indiana in the Senate.\n\nRep. Van Epps stated, \u201cIt's no mystery that the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) is investing heavily to consolidate biological data for scientific advancement. Meanwhile, American biological data is dispersed and uncoordinated for use, limiting America\u2019s ability to develop the next generation of scientific and biomedical innovations. This lack of coordination also creates vulnerabilities that foreign adversaries can exploit by leveraging American biological data for their own strategic interests, giving these adversaries a competitive advantage in biosciences while operationally destabilizing U.S. biosecurity. That\u2019s why the U.S. must leverage its biological data to advance scientific innovation, improve public health, and strengthen national security, while implementing strong cybersecurity safeguards to protect this critical data from strategic competitors. This legislation creates a data resource to serve as a secure, single point of entry for our world-class researchers, unlocking the novel discoveries that position the U.S. to lead in scientific innovation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a national security priority. China is rapidly consolidating vast datasets to advance its strategic and national interests. For example, Beijing has been ramping up its development of biological weapons with the help of AI. Where the PRC lacks in AI model capabilities and computing power, it leads in data harmonization. America cannot fall behind. Creating an integrated biological data resource will enable researchers to standardize and securely access critical datasets needed to train cutting-edge AI models that drive scientific innovation. These powerful AI tools will empower scientists to do advanced research in fields like genomics, proteomics, pharmaceuticals, and even security research\u2014all things that have the power to improve the lives of Americans,\u201d Rep. Van Epps concluded.\n\n\u201cHigh-quality, AI-ready biological data will be the foundation of future American biotechnology innovation. This bill would unleash researchers to focus on innovation while preserving existing privacy protections, and it would secure U.S. biological data from exploitation by the Chinese Communist Party. This data is a strategic national resource that will prime the best and brightest in American biotechnology to launch U.S. innovation into the age of AI,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\nRep. Auchincloss stated, \u201cDiscoveries in diseases like Schizophrenia & Alzheimer\u2019s have been slower than other ailments, in part due to the immense complexity of overlaying genomic, biologic and neurologic vectors. More and better data can empower researchers to explore the etiology of these diseases at the intersection of disciplines.\u201d\n\nThis legislation was endorsed by: American Alliance for Biomanufacturing, Astera Institute, American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), BioNJ, FutureHouse, Indiana University, Innovative Genomics Institute, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance, Texas Medical Center, Transfyr, Science and Technology Action Committee, and The Foundation for American Innovation.\n\nRead the legislation here.\n\nRead the one-pager here.\n\nBackground:\n\nThis legislation:", 1, "2026-06-17T06:49:24Z", "2026-06-17T06:50:53Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vanepps.house.gov/media/press-releases/van-epps-auchincloss-and-young-launch-effort-to-create-biological-data-resource-to-strengthen-us-research-competitiveness"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.9342537745833397, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}