Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015
Latest action · Jun 24, 2015 Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-186.
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 13, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015
Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to select a VA medical center to serve as the national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the biological children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as members of the Armed Forces that are related to such exposure.
Requires: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD) or the head of a federal agency to make available to the VA for review records held by DOD, an Armed Force, or that federal agency that might assist the VA in making determinations regarding individuals and descendents afflicted with a health condition as a result of such exposure; (2) the VA and DOD or such agency head to jointly establish a mechanism for the availability and review of records by the VA; and (3) the national center to employ at least one licensed clinical social worker to coordinate access of individuals to appropriate social and health care programs and to handle case management.
Establishes an Advisory Board to oversee and assess the national center and to advise the VA regarding the center's work.
Directs DOD to declassify documents (other than documents that would materially and immediately threaten national security) related to any known incident in which at least 100 members of the Armed Forces were exposed to a toxic substance that resulted in at least one case of an associated disability.
Directs the VA to conduct a national outreach and education campaign directed toward members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their family members to communicate information on: (1) incidents of exposure of members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances, health conditions resulting from such exposure, and the potential long-term effects; and (2) the national center. Requires DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services to assist the VA in implementing such campaign.
Cosponsors 49
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 13, 2015 to Jun 29, 2016; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Apr 13, 2015 |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Apr 15, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Apr 20, 2015 | |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Apr 27, 2015 | |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | May 14, 2015 | |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Jun 9, 2015 | |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Jun 10, 2015 | |
| D-WV | Joe Manchin III | Jun 10, 2015 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Jun 10, 2015 | |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Jun 17, 2015 | |
| R-KS | Pat Roberts | Jun 22, 2015 | |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Jun 23, 2015 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Jul 7, 2015 | |
| R-MO | Roy Blunt | Jul 30, 2015 | |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Aug 5, 2015 | |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Aug 5, 2015 | |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Aug 5, 2015 | |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Sep 17, 2015 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Sep 29, 2015 | |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| R-AR | John Boozman | Oct 6, 2015 | |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | Nov 10, 2015 | |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Nov 16, 2015 | |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Nov 16, 2015 | |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Dec 2, 2015 | |
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Dec 10, 2015 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Boxer | Dec 16, 2015 | |
| D-DE | Thomas R. Carper | Jan 11, 2016 | |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | Jan 19, 2016 | |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Feb 3, 2016 | |
| D-MN | Al Franken | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Feb 9, 2016 | |
| R-NV | Dean Heller | Feb 10, 2016 | |
| R-AZ | John McCain | Feb 23, 2016 | |
| D-IN | Joe Donnelly | Mar 1, 2016 | |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Mar 1, 2016 | |
| R-NC | Richard Burr | Mar 3, 2016 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Mar 8, 2016 | |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Apr 4, 2016 | |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Apr 4, 2016 | |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Apr 5, 2016 | |
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Apr 7, 2016 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Apr 14, 2016 | |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Apr 18, 2016 | |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Apr 27, 2016 | |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | May 9, 2016 | |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Jun 29, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Apr 13, 2015Hearings Jun 24, 2015 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2015Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-186.
- Apr 13, 2015Introduced in Senate
- Apr 13, 2015Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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.
Printed hearings 3
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 114-707 | HEARING ON PENDING LEGISLATION214 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Jun 29, 2016 |
| S. Hrg. 114-371 | EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS ON VETERANS AND THE VA'S RESPONSE134 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Sep 29, 2015 |
| S. Hrg. 114-186 | HEARING ON PENDING HEALTH CARE AND BENEFITS LEGISLATION138 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Jun 24, 2015 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1769 | Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2016 | Identical bill | May 24, 2016 |
| HR 5286 | VA Construction and Lease Authorization, Health, and Benefits Enhancement Act | Related bill | Jun 9, 2016 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during service in the Armed Forces that are related to that exposure, to establish an advisory board on such health conditions, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Advisory bodies
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Health facilities and institutions
- Health information and medical records
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
- Medical research
- Military personnel and dependents
- Transportation costs
- Veterans' medical care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 13, 2015Introduced in Senate
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.
