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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Hearing on Biosafety and Biosecurity Standards

Original title: STRENGTHENING BIOSAFETY AND BIOSECURITY STANDARDS: PROTECTING AGAINST FUTURE PANDEMICS

January 1, 2023

biosafety biosecurity pandemic preparedness public health research oversight

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing informs potential legislative updates to federal oversight policies for 'gain-of-function' and 'dual-use' research, which directly impacts how laboratories handle dangerous pathogens and how the U.S. prepares for future public health emergencies.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Research Laboratories

These entities are subject to federal oversight policies regarding the handling of pathogens and dual-use research.

Public Health Agencies

These agencies are responsible for implementing and enforcing biosafety standards and pandemic response protocols.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2023.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing on October 18, 2023, to evaluate the effectiveness of current U.S. biosafety and biosecurity standards. The committee discussed the need to modernize oversight policies for high-risk biological research to better protect against future pandemics and potential biological threats.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on October 18, 2023, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The subcommittee is reviewing oversight policies for federally funded 'dual-use' research of concern and 'gain-of-function' research of concern.
The public comment period for proposed changes to these research oversight policies concluded on October 16, 2023.
The scope of the review includes both domestic and international biological threats, including potential biological weapons.
The hearing included testimony from Dr. Gerald W. Parker, Jr. and Dr. Jaime Yassif.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'gain-of-function' research?

The document refers to it as a type of research subject to federal oversight policies, typically involving the modification of biological agents to enhance their transmissibility or virulence.

What was the purpose of this hearing?

To assess whether current U.S. biosafety and biosecurity standards are sufficient to protect against future pandemics and biological threats.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Modernization of Research Oversight

The committee is actively reviewing federal oversight policies for high-risk research immediately following the close of a public comment period.

Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic

Connected Entities

personGerald W. Parker, Jr.“Witness; Associate Dean at Texas A&M University.”Map →

organizationSelect Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic“The congressional body conducting the hearing.”Map →

personJaime Yassif“Witness; Vice President at Nuclear Threat Initiative.”Map →

personBrad Wenstrup“Chairman of the Select Subcommittee.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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