DHS Biodetection Improvement Act

HR 6174, the DHS Biodetection Improvement Act, requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assess its past use of Department of Energy national laboratories for biodetection research and develop a strategy to improve future collaboration. The strategy must identify effective detection technologies (informed by past studies like the 2021 BioWatch network review), create a plan to procure these tools for existing BioWatch systems, and establish regular reviews to address gaps. It directly affects DHS operations, BioWatch jurisdictions (which deploy these detection systems), and partnerships with national labs, universities, and state/local governments. DHS must submit the initial strategy to Congress within 180 days and provide annual updates on implementation progress.