US Congress House Bill 2237 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-5-1)
Status: Introduced on May 5 2015 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2015-08-13 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Military Personnel Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a center of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of health conditions relating to exposure to open burn pits and other environmental exposures in Afghanistan or Iraq. The VA shall, in selecting the site, consider entities that: are equipped with the specialized equipment needed to study, diagnose, and treat health conditions relating to such exposure; have a publication track record of post-deployment health exposures among veterans who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom; have collaborated with a geosciences department that has a medical geology division; have developed animal models and in vitro models of dust immunology and lung injury consistent with the injuries of members of the Armed Forces who served in support of such Operations; and have expertise in allergy and immunology, pulmonary diseases, and industrial and management engineering. The VA shall ensure that the center collaborates with the Department of Defense (DOD), institutions of higher education, and other appropriate public and private entities to: provide for dissemination within the VA of best practices for the treatment of such conditions and the training of health professionals; provide guidance for the VA and DOD health systems in determining the personnel required to provide quality health care for members of the Armed Forces and veterans with such conditions; establish, implement, and oversee a comprehensive program to train VA and DOD health professionals in the treatment of such conditions; facilitate advancements in the study of the short-term and long-term effects of such exposure; conduct basic science and translational research on such conditions for the purposes of understanding the etiology of such conditions and developing preventive interventions and new treatments; and provide medical treatment to all veterans identified as part of the burn pits registry established under the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012. The center shall have access to and make use of the data accumulated by such registry.

Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act

Rep. Elizabeth Esty [D-CT]	Rep. Jim McDermott [D-WA]	Rep. Peter King [R-NY]	Rep. Henry Cuellar [D-TX]
Rep. Amata Radewagen [R-AS]	Rep. Mike Coffman [R-CO]	Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC]	Rep. Cheri Bustos [D-IL]
Rep. Keith Rothfus [R-PA]	Rep. Madeleine Bordallo [D-GU]	Rep. Michael Honda [D-CA]	Rep. Charles Rangel [D-NY]
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier [D-CA]	Rep. Seth Moulton [D-MA]	Rep. Beto O'Rourke [D-TX]	Sen. Kyrsten Sinema [I-AZ]
Rep. Alan Lowenthal [D-CA]	Rep. Richard Nolan [D-MN]	Rep. Betty McCollum [D-MN]	Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]
Rep. Debbie Dingell [D-MI]	Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC]	Rep. Scott Peters [D-CA]	Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN]
Rep. Alcee Hastings [D-FL]

Date	Chamber	Action
2015-08-13	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
2015-05-26	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
2015-05-05	House	Referred to House Armed Services
2015-05-05	House	Referred to House Veterans' Affairs
2015-05-05	House	Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2015-05-05	House	Introduced in House

SB2679 (Related) 2016-05-24 - Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2237/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr2237/BILLS-114hr2237ih.pdf