CODIS Access Modernization Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The CODIS Access Modernization Act requires the Attorney General to permit eligible privately owned forensic DNA laboratories to upload qualifying DNA profiles directly to the National DNA Index System. The Department of Justice and FBI must issue implementing regulations within six months covering laboratory eligibility, upload procedures, security, privacy, and compliance with federal law.
An eligible laboratory must have held ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for at least five consecutive years, pass external audits every two years under FBI Quality Assurance Standards, comply with federal restrictions on DNA samples and records, and follow the NDIS memorandum of understanding and operating manual. The uploaded profiles must independently satisfy FBI standards for entry into NDIS.
The authority is limited to submitting qualifying profiles. It does not allow a private laboratory to search, query, retrieve, or otherwise access NDIS information. The substantive provisions take effect on enactment, while the regulations remain due on the six-month timetable.
Who Benefits and How
Eligible private forensic DNA laboratories benefit from direct upload authority and reduced dependence on duplicative review by public laboratories. Public forensic laboratories benefit from lower review workloads and more capacity for their own casework. Law-enforcement investigators, crime victims, and victims' families may receive DNA matches and investigative leads sooner. Agencies purchasing forensic testing gain another compliant route for moving eligible profiles into NDIS.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Private laboratories seeking access must maintain long-term accreditation, undergo biennial external audits, satisfy FBI quality standards, implement privacy and security controls, and comply with NDIS operating documents. DOJ and FBI staff must write regulations, approve eligible laboratories, manage technical upload access, audit compliance, and prevent search or retrieval access. Laboratories without five years of continuous accreditation remain ineligible for direct upload.
Key Provisions
- Requires direct NDIS upload access for eligible private forensic DNA laboratories.
- Limits private access to submission of qualifying profiles.
- Prohibits private laboratories from searching, querying, or retrieving NDIS information.
- Requires at least five consecutive years of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
- Requires external audits every two years under FBI Quality Assurance Standards.
- Mandates compliance with DNA privacy law and NDIS operating requirements.
- Directs DOJ and FBI to issue implementing regulations within six months.
- Applies the Act on enactment while preserving the stated regulation deadline.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Attorney General to let qualified private forensic DNA laboratories upload eligible profiles directly to the National DNA Index System under FBI accreditation, audit, privacy, security, and operational safeguards.
Key Policy Areas
Forensic Science, Law Enforcement, DNA Databases, Private Laboratories, Crime Victims, Data Privacy
Primary Purpose
Requires the Attorney General to let qualified private forensic DNA laboratories upload eligible profiles directly to the National DNA Index System under FBI accreditation, audit, privacy, security, and operational safeguards.
Policy Domains
Sections 2 through 5 private laboratory NDIS upload authority
Identified Gains
- Eligible private forensic DNA laboratories
- Public forensic laboratories with DNA backlogs
- Law-enforcement investigators awaiting DNA matches
- Crime victims awaiting case resolution
- Families of crime victims
- Agencies purchasing private forensic testing
Identified Costs
- Private laboratories seeking NDIS upload access
- FBI NDIS access administrators
- DOJ forensic-rulemaking staff
- FBI laboratory-audit staff
- Private laboratory privacy officers
- Private laboratories lacking five-year accreditation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Mr. Nehls introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Agencies purchasing private forensic testing, Crime victims awaiting case resolution, Law-enforcement investigators awaiting DNA matches
Accredited private forensic DNA laboratories, Eligible private forensic DNA laboratories, Private laboratories lacking five-year accreditation
Positive-direction: Eligible private forensic DNA laboratories
Negative-direction: Private laboratories lacking five-year accreditation
DOJ forensic-rulemaking staff, FBI NDIS access administrators, FBI laboratory-audit staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "fbi"
- → Federal Bureau of Investigation regulating NDIS eligibility and access
- "attorney_general"
- → Attorney General responsible for allowing direct uploads
- "public_laboratory"
- → Public forensic laboratory currently reviewing private-laboratory work before upload
- "eligible_laboratory"
- → Privately owned forensic DNA laboratory meeting accreditation, audit, privacy, and NDIS requirements
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Authority to submit qualifying profiles without authority to search, query, or retrieve NDIS information.
A nongovernmental forensic DNA laboratory with five years of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, biennial quality audits, and compliance with federal and NDIS safeguards.
DNA profiles meeting FBI standards and eligibility rules for entry into NDIS.
The national DNA index established under section 12592 of title 34.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology