America’s Living Library Act

This bill establishes a pilot program called the America's Living Library Project within the Department of the Interior to collect and sequence genomic data from species found in units of the National Park System, creating a publicly available genomic database while ensuring data security and long-term sample storage.

Sec. 2, America's Living Library Project: The Secretary of the Interior (through the U.S. Geological Survey) must set up a pilot program to collect, catalog, and whole-genome sequence samples from animals, plants, fungi, and microbes in selected National Park System units, subject to existing environmental and wildlife laws. The program will create a public genomic database (withholding personal and sensitive location information), integrate taxonomic systems, and arrange long-term sample storage. The Secretary must coordinate with the National Park Service, Agriculture Department, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, National Institutes of Health, and other agencies.

Sec. 2(e), Program Office: The Secretary must establish or designate an office within the U.S. Geological Survey to run the program, with authority to enter contracts, receive in-kind contributions from biotechnology companies (limited to resources like sequencing), and use other federal agencies' services with their consent.

Sec. 2(f), Selection of Park Units: Within 180 days, the Secretary must select 5 initial park units based on criteria including biological landscape, feasibility, education opportunities, research value, and geographic diversity. Within 2 years, an additional 20 units must be selected. Selections must be publicly announced with reasons.

Sec. 2(g), Program Requirements: The program must use existing data standards for high-quality, interoperable data, comply with cybersecurity standards, and ensure long-term sample storage. Samples cannot be transferred outside the U.S., and storage and processing must occur in U.S. facilities. High-priority species must be stored in both the Smithsonian's natural history collections and the Agriculture Department's germplasm repository.

Sec. 2(h), Tribal Consultation: The Secretary must consult with Indian Tribes as required by law.

Sec. 2(i), Implementation Plan: Within 180 days, the Secretary must submit a plan to Congress covering expansion to additional park units, potential expansion to other federal lands (like those managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service), and a plan for expedited access to data for U.S.-based entities not controlled by foreign entities of concern for AI model development.

Sec. 2(j), Reports: A preliminary report with findings and a sustainable funding plan (including a graduated subscription model and partnerships) is due within 3 years. A final report is due after the program ends.

Sec. 2(k), Funding: Authorized appropriations total specific amounts for fiscal years 2027 through 2031: to the Secretary for program oversight and genome sequencing ($16.5M for 2027-2028, $36M for 2029, $54M for 2030-2031); to the Smithsonian for sample storage ($3M for 2027-2028, $7M for 2029, $10M for 2030-2031); to the Agriculture Department's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research ($3M for 2027-2028, $6M for 2029, $9M for 2030-2031); to the National Animal Germplasm Program ($1M for 2027-2028, $2M for 2029, $3M for 2030-2031); and to the National Center for Biotechnology Information for data storage ($5M for 2027-2028, $10M for 2029, $15M for 2030-2031).

Sec. 2(l), Termination: The program authority ends 10 years after enactment.