REEDLEY, Calif. (KMJ) The fight against illegal labs, like the one uncovered in Reedley that made national headlines in 2023, continues on the federal level.
Reps. Jim Costa (CA-21), David Valadao (CA-22) and Kevin Kiley (CA-03) have reintroduced the Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that they say strengthens oversight of highly pathogenic agents and high-containment laboratories to protect Americans from public health and national security threats.
“Since we first uncovered the illegal lab in Reedley, I’ve continued working with local, state, and federal leaders to push for stronger safeguards at the federal level to ensure public safety. That’s why I first introduced this bill last year, and why I’m reintroducing it today with bipartisan support — to close gaps in the regulation of labs and prevent bad actors from exploiting our public health system. The legislation strengthens tracking, improves oversight of anyone working with infectious diseases, and ensures deeper cooperation between local, state, and federal agencies,” said Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA).
“The Reedley Lab incident was a dangerous national security failure, and it’s critical we put safeguards in place to ensure it never happens again,” said Congressman Valadao (R-CA). “This bipartisan bill closes the federal loopholes that allowed a facility like Reedley to operate under the radar and strengthens oversight so bad actors can’t exploit gaps in the future. I’m proud to partner with Congressman Costa to reintroduce this commonsense legislation and improve coordination at the local, state, and federal levels.”
“The situation in Reedley made clear that the federal government must do more to prevent illegal labs from operating in our neighborhoods. This legislation creates the accountability and oversight needed to close dangerous gaps and protect the public. I’m grateful for the partnership on this issue and committed to ensuring our communities never face a threat like this again,” said Congressman Kiley (R-CA).
The law addresses the gaps in federal law outlined in the congressional report by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The legislation would:
- Require distributors of highly pathogenic agents to maintain federally reviewable logbooks of all transfers, including purchaser identity and intended use, for at least three years.
- Strengthen oversight by mandating federal review of the number, location, and risks of high-containment labs, with updated national standards for design, construction, and operation.
- Protect against foreign threats by ensuring adversaries cannot exploit weak U.S. oversight to establish secret labs.
- Create a Public Health Biosafety & Biosecurity Team as a single point of contact for state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments when suspicious labs are identified.
- Require a feasibility study on creating a centralized national database of high-containment labs, accessible to state and local officials for biosecurity purposes.
- The text of the bill is available HERE.
BACKGROUND
In 2023, local code enforcement discovered an unlicensed laboratory operating in Reedley, California, that contained hazardous pathogens, including samples of COVID-19, and unsafe storage of infectious materials. Investigations revealed the operation had ties to Chinese ownership and funding, raising alarms about foreign adversaries exploiting weaknesses in U.S. biosafety oversight.
Current federal law regulates only a limited list of “select agents,” leaving many dangerous pathogens outside of federal tracking requirements. The Preventing Illegal Laboratories and Protecting Public Health Act closes these gaps by requiring distributors to maintain federally reviewable records of all transfers, creating a federal framework to evaluate high-containment labs nationwide, and strengthening coordination between federal, state, and local governments to protect public health and national security.
“The Reedley incident highlighted a gap in the nation’s bio security. Any city around this country could have dozens of deadly pathogens stored next to sensitive locations and be completely unaware of it. Congressman Costa took this issue seriously from the very beginning and understood the national implications. His proposed legislation puts us on a path to closing that critical gap that will help keep every American safe from the hazards like those like those discovered in the Reedley lab,“ said Nicole Zieba, City Manager of Reedley.
“The County of Fresno appreciates Congressman Costa for taking proactive steps by introducing legislation that will address issues experienced during the response to the unlicensed laboratory in Reedley. The proposed legislation will fill gaps in our national biosecurity surveillance while establishing a standardized framework for tracking the movement of highly infectious materials. These measures will enable authorities to identify and mitigate potential risks more effectively,“ said Joe Prado, Director of Public Health for Fresno County.
