Sec. 19a-31a. Microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratories.

(a) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory” means a laboratory that (A) utilizes any living agent capable of causing a human infection or reportable human disease, or (B) is used to secure evidence of the presence or absence of a living agent capable of causing a human infection or reportable human disease, for the purposes of teaching, research or quality control of the infection or disease;

(2) “Biolevel-two microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory” means a microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory that presents a moderate hazard to personnel of exposure to an infection or disease and utilizes agents that are associated with human infection or disease;

(3) “Biolevel-three microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory” means a microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory operated by an institution of higher education, or any other research entity, that (A) handles agents that (i) have a known potential for aerosol transmission, (ii) may cause serious and potentially lethal human infections or diseases, and (iii) are either indigenous or exotic in origin, and (B) is designed and equipped under guidelines issued by the National Institutes of Health and the National Centers for Disease Control as a biolevel-three laboratory; and

(4) “Biolevel-three agent” means an agent classified as a biolevel-three agent by the National Institutes of Health and the National Centers for Disease Control.

(b) No biolevel-two microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory or biolevel-three microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory shall operate unless such laboratory has registered with the Department of Public Health and paid the registration fee required under subsection (c) of this section.

(c) The biennial registration fee for a biolevel-two microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory and a biolevel-three microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory shall be four hundred dollars.

(d) Microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratories that are state or federally operated entities shall be exempt from the registration fee requirements set forth in subsection (c) of this section.

(e) If an institution that operates a biolevel-three microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory establishes a biosafety committee pursuant to the National Institutes of Health or the National Centers for Disease Control guidelines, such committee shall (1) forward the minutes of its meetings to the Department of Public Health and (2) meet at least annually with a representative of the Department of Public Health to review safety procedures and discuss health issues relating to the operation of the laboratory.

(f) Each such institution shall report to the Department of Public Health any infection or injury relating to work at the laboratory with biolevel-three agents and any incidents relating to such work which result in a recommendation by the institution that employees or members of the public be tested or monitored for potential health problems because of the possibility of infection or injury or incidents which pose a threat to public health.

(g) Each such institution shall report to the Department of Public Health any sanctions imposed on the laboratory or on the institution for incidents occurring at the laboratory by the National Institutes of Health, the National Centers for Disease Control, the United States Department of Defense or any other government agency.

(P.A. 96-149; P.A. 17-146, S. 20.)

History: P.A. 17-146 amended Subsec. (a) by adding new Subdivs. (1) and (2) defining “microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory” and “biolevel-two microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory”, respectively, redesignated existing Subdiv. (1) as Subdiv. (3) and amended same by replacing “biolevel-three laboratory” with “biolevel-three microbiological and biomedical biosafety laboratory” and adding provisions re other research entities, redesignated existing Subdiv. (2) re biolevel-three agent as Subdiv. (4), added new Subsec. (b) re laboratory registration with department, added new Subsec. (c) re biennial registration fee, added new Subsec. (d) re exemption from registration fee, redesignated existing Subsecs. (b) to (d) as Subsecs. (e) to (g), and made technical and conforming changes.