Pandemic Care for Burn Pits Exposure Act of 2020
Latest action · Jun 2, 2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 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.
- IntroducedJun 2, 2020
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Pandemic Care for Burn Pits Exposure Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that the first health assessment conducted for a member of the Armed Forces or veteran after such an individual tests positive for a virus certified as a pandemic includes an evaluation of whether the individual has been (1) based or stationed at a location where an open burn pit was used, or (2) exposed to toxic airborne chemicals or contaminants relating to service in the Armed Forces. A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.
If such an evaluation establishes that an individual was based or stationed at a location where an open burn pit was used, or that the individual was exposed to toxic airborne chemicals or contaminants, the individual must be enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry unless they opt out of enrollment.
The VA's Airborne Hazards and Burn Pits Center of Excellence must conduct a study on the health impacts of infection with a virus designated as a global pandemic, including the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19), to members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have been exposed to open burn pits and other toxic exposures. The study must be analyzed to assist in preparation for potential future pandemics.
Cosponsors 9
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 2, 2020 to Jun 29, 2020; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AK | Dan Sullivan | Original | Jun 2, 2020 |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | Original | Jun 2, 2020 |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Original | Jun 2, 2020 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Jun 25, 2020 | |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Jun 25, 2020 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Jun 25, 2020 | |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Jun 25, 2020 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Jun 25, 2020 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Jun 29, 2020 |
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 Jun 2, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 2, 2020Introduced in Senate
- Jun 2, 2020Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6395 | William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 | Related bill | Jan 2, 2021 |
| HR 7684 | Pandemic Care for Burn Pits Exposure Act of 2020 | Identical bill | Sep 30, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to evaluate members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have tested positive for a virus certified as a pandemic for potential exposure to open burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals or other airborne contaminants, to conduct a study on the impact of such a pandemic on members and veterans with such exposure, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Pandemic Care for Burn Pits Exposure Act of 2020
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Afghanistan
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Asia
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Conflicts and wars
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Fires
- Government studies and investigations
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Health information and medical records
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Iraq
- Medical research
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Middle East
- Military medicine
- Military operations and strategy
- Military personnel and dependents
- Solid waste and recycling
- Veterans' medical care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 2, 2020Introduced 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.
