Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2015
Latest action · May 26, 2015 Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 29, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2015
Defines a "covered individual" as an individual who is a Vietnam resident and who: (1) is affected by health issues related to Agent Orange exposure which took place between January 1, 1961, and May 7, 1975; (2) lives or had lived in or near geographic areas in Vietnam that continue to contain high levels of Agent Orange; or (3) is affected by such health issues as the child or descendant of such an individual.
Directs the Secretary of State to provide assistance: (1) to address the health care needs of covered individuals, (2) to institutions in Vietnam that provide health care to such individuals, (3) to repair and rebuild substandard homes in Vietnam for covered individuals and their families, and (4) to remediate geographic areas of Vietnam that contain high levels of Agent Orange.
Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide assistance to support research relating to health issues of individuals affected by Agent Orange.
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) make grants to appropriate public health organizations and Vietnamese-American organizations to conduct a broad health assessment of Vietnamese-Americans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange and their children or descendants; and (2) establish centers in U.S. locations where large populations of Vietnamese-Americans reside to provide assessment, counseling, and treatment for conditions related to Agent Orange exposure.
Amends veterans benefits provisions to provide benefits to the children of male (currently only female) Vietnam veterans who are affected by certain birth defects. Requires the VA Secretary to require any health care provider with whom the Secretary enters into a contract for the provision of health care to such children to provide the VA access to the medical records of such children for research into the intergenerational effects of Agent Orange exposure.
Cosponsors 26
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 14, 2015 to Jul 21, 2016.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | May 14, 2015 | |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | May 20, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Sep 8, 2015 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Sep 16, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | Sep 16, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Sep 24, 2015 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Sep 25, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Oct 7, 2015 | |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Oct 16, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Oct 22, 2015 | |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Oct 23, 2015 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Nov 2, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Nita M. Lowey | Dec 9, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Dec 10, 2015 | |
| D-PA | Robert A. Brady | Jan 8, 2016 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Feb 29, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Mike Thompson | Mar 21, 2016 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Jun 10, 2016 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Jul 5, 2016 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Jul 21, 2016 | |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | Jul 21, 2016 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Apr 29, 2015 |
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee | Referred May 26, 2015 | |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Apr 29, 2015 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred May 1, 2015 | |
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Apr 29, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 26, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Apr 29, 2015Introduced in House
- Apr 29, 2015Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Foreign Affairs, 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.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 63, April 29, 2015, page H2655.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 334 | Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2017 | Reintroduced Bill | Feb 3, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide assistance for individuals affected by exposure to Agent Orange, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Asia
- Birth defects
- Conflicts and wars
- Environmental health
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Health care coverage and access
- Health information and medical records
- Health programs administration and funding
- International Affairs
- Medical research
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Military personnel and dependents
- Public-private cooperation
- Research administration and funding
- Residential rehabilitation and home repair
- Veterans' medical care
- Vietnam
- World health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 29, 2015Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
