Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen Research Act of 2021
This bill temporarily prohibits the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting research on any influenza virus or coronavirus if the research is reasonably expected to increase the virus's pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals via the respiratory route.
To prohibit the National Institutes of Health from conducting or 
 supporting certain gain-of-function research, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen 
Research Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. NO CONDUCT OR SUPPORT BY NIH OF GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH.

    Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 404O. GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH.

    ``(a) Prohibition.--During the period ending on September 30, 2026, 
the National Institutes of Health shall not conduct or support, 
directly or indirectly, including through subgrants, any gain-of-
function research that may be reasonably anticipated to confer 
attributes to any influenza virus or coronavirus (including any 
coronavirus that is associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome) 
such that the virus would have enhanced pathogenicity or 
transmissibility in mammals via the respiratory route.
    ``(b) Limitation.--This section does not apply to characterization 
or testing of any naturally occurring influenza virus or coronavirus, 
unless the characterization or testing is anticipated to increase 
pathogenicity or transmissibility.''.
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Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen Research Act of 2021
To prohibit the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting certain gain-of-function research, and for other purposes.
Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen Research Act of 2021
Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy"