A direct chemical lysis composition includes an assay compatible buffer composition and an assay compatible surfactant. When combined with a specimen storage composition, such compositions prevent undesired modifications to nucleic acid and proteins lysed from cells in the biological sample. Assays of samples from such compositions do not require expensive and time-consuming steps such as centrifugation and prolonged high temperature processing. The direct chemical lysis composition of the present invention permits direct nucleic acid extraction from the cells in the biological sample without the need to decant off the transport media or otherwise exchange the transport media with assay compatible buffers. There is no need to combine the sample with proteinase K or another enzyme to extract nucleic acids from the cells. A method for lysing cells to obtain target nucleic acid for assay and a kit for combining the direct chemical lysis composition with a sample are also contemplated.