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U.S. Response: Legislation Relaxes Proposed Research Rules New regulations passed by the U.S. Congress last week on research conducted with biological weapons agents are less restrictive than draft versions offered soon after last fall’s anthrax attacks, Science reported this week (see GSN, May 24). “Congress did a good job of providing clarity to researchers about their responsibilities,” said George Leventhal, a lobbyist with the Association of American Universities. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act would require laboratories to increase security, government registration and background checks for researchers who work with one of the more than 35 biological weapons agents, according to Science. The bill would also provide more funding for new research, improving laboratories and for developing better tracking systems. The final version of the legislation addresses complaints from scientists about earlier versions, which would have blocked all non-U.S. citizens from working with biological weapons agents. The final bill instead avoids an outright ban on research conducted by foreign scientists and would give the Health and Human Services Department some flexibility in setting different levels of security for different agents. Under the new bill, the Agriculture Department would be required to create its own list of biological agents that could be used against agricultural targets. The legislation would also require the two departments to create realistic regulatory schedules to minimize disruptive effects on current research, according to Science. The bill, which allows a six-month timeline for enacting the new rules, would require “prompt” screening of researchers working with certain agents and would also provide an appeals process (David Malakoff, Science, May 31).
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