WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-OK-5) and Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), all commissioners on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), introduced the America’s Living Library Act of 2026. The bill would direct the Secretary ofthe Interior to begin a project to collect, catalog, and sequence genomic information of animals, plants, fungi, and microbes on U.S. public lands.
The United States is locked in a global tech competition with China and other adversaries, and access to high-quality datasets has become an important part of winning the race. Specifically, non-human biological data from animals, plants, fungi, and microbes is a strategic resource that can be used to unlock breakthrough innovations in medicine, agriculture, and defense. While this biological data can be found in public lands across our country – including in National Parks that span millions of acres and cover varied climates and topographies – America has failed to leverage this data for innovation and national security.
History has already shown what is possible. In the 1960s, Indiana University microbiologist Thomas D. Brock studied microbes in Yellowstone’s hot springs, and that line of research later helped make PCR a reliable way to quickly copy DNA, a foundational technique that powers modern medical testing, forensics, and biological research.
The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would establish a program to create biological datasets that American researchers can use to drive innovationand research. The effort also reflects a priority of the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan to “build world-class scientific datasets.”
“We cannot afford to stand by while China and other adversaries compile massive biological datasets intended to undermine our national and economic security. Our bill will leverage our natural resources as national strategic assets, a necessary step in ensuring the U.S. remains the global tech leader,” said Senator Young.
“America’s public lands contain rich biological data with enormous potential to bolster our medicine, agriculture, supply chain, and national security. Yet despite the wide variety of climates and biodiversity in our 63 National Parks, the United States has failed to capitalize on this abundance of biological data as a strategic national resource,” said Senator Padilla. “That’s why our bipartisan, bicameral bill would kickstart a comprehensive project to survey organisms on our public lands and collect key genomic samples to better understand the full range of America’s biological landscape and to the harness the full power of American innovation.”
“Biological data from America’s vast public lands is a strategic national asset that must not only be secured, but made accessible to American innovators,” said Representative Bice. “The convergence of AI and biotech is transforming what we can do with biology, and it requires high-quality data. This act will safeguard our competitive edge unleashing growth across the biotechnology sector with the help of the plants, animals, and fungi that make up our incredible national landscape.”
“I’m proud to sponsor America’s Living Library Act of 2026 alongside Sens. Padilla and Young and Rep. Bice to help further our nation’s understanding of biology and our natural resources across America’s 85 million acres of national parks and enable future biotech breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and industrial production,” said Representative Khanna.
More specifically, the America’s Living Library Act would:
- Establish a sampling, collection, and sequencing process that follows National Park Service and Department of Interior standards
- Create opportunities for education and outreach related to science, biological data, and nature at the selected National Parks.
- Create a public database to store genomic information gained through this effort, to include high quality, standardized, AI-ready datasets.
- Create collection and storage capacity for biological samples in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture and Smithsonian Institution.
- Engage with a broad set of stakeholders to ensure public views and ideas are incorporated into program implementation.
- Establish or designate an existing office with the U.S. Geological Survey to carry out the America’s Living Library project.
In addition to Senators Young and Padilla, Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) also cosponsored the legislation.
The America’s Living Library Act is supported by Eli Lilly, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), ConservAmerica, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Inari, Indiana University, Elanco, Indiana Life Sciences Association, Ginkgo Bioworks, Applied Research Institute (ARI), American Alliance for Biomanufacturing (AAB), SCSP Action Program, American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA), and American Society for Microbiology (ASM).
Full text of the legislation can be found here. A summary of the legislation can be found here.
