Correcting Guam’s History in the PACT Act
Latest action · Mar 20, 2023 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.
- IntroducedFeb 24, 2023
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Correcting Guam's History in the PACT Act
This bill expands eligibility for a presumption of service-connection for specified diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
Under the bill, service performed in Guam or its territorial waters between August 15, 1958, and July 31, 1980, provides a veteran who has a specified disease that is associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents with eligibility for a presumption of service-connection. (Under current law, the eligible time frame for service in Guam is between January 9, 1962, and July 31, 1980.)
Cosponsors 74
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 1, 2023 to Jun 27, 2024.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | Scott DesJarlais | Mar 1, 2023 | |
| D-NC | Jeff Jackson | Mar 7, 2023 | |
| D-FL | Jared Moskowitz | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Mar 22, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Mar 23, 2023 | |
| D-MN | Angie Craig | Apr 27, 2023 | |
| R-SC | Nancy Mace | Apr 27, 2023 | |
| R-CA | Young Kim | May 2, 2023 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | May 5, 2023 | |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | May 5, 2023 | |
| D-NJ | Donald Norcross | May 9, 2023 | |
| D-IL | Jesús G. "Chuy" García | May 11, 2023 | |
| R-NY | Michael Lawler | May 15, 2023 | |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | May 17, 2023 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | May 17, 2023 | |
| D-GA | David Scott | May 22, 2023 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | May 24, 2023 | |
| D-GA | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | May 31, 2023 | |
| D-NJ | Andy Kim | Jun 6, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Jun 23, 2023 | |
| D-NV | Susie Lee | Jun 23, 2023 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Jul 6, 2023 | |
| D-HI | Jill N. Tokuda | Jul 11, 2023 | |
| D-PA | Madeleine Dean | Jul 11, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | Jul 13, 2023 | |
| R-SC | Russell Fry | Jul 17, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Joseph D. Morelle | Jul 18, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Jul 18, 2023 | |
| D-MI | Shri Thanedar | Jul 18, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Jul 24, 2023 | |
| R-NY | Nick LaLota | Jul 24, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Aug 4, 2023 | |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Aug 18, 2023 | |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Aug 18, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Aug 18, 2023 | |
| R-AR | Bruce Westerman | Aug 29, 2023 | |
| D-NC | Donald G. Davis | Sep 5, 2023 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Sep 5, 2023 | |
| D-IL | Nikki Budzinski | Sep 5, 2023 | |
| D-PA | Susan Wild | Sep 5, 2023 | |
| D-CO | Yadira Caraveo | Sep 5, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Sep 12, 2023 | |
| D-TX | Jasmine Crockett | Sep 12, 2023 | |
| D-IL | Jonathan L. Jackson | Sep 12, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Mike Thompson | Sep 12, 2023 | |
| D-NH | Chris Pappas | Sep 29, 2023 | |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Sep 29, 2023 | |
| R-CA | Mike Garcia | Sep 29, 2023 | |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | Oct 17, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | Oct 17, 2023 | |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Oct 19, 2023 | |
| R-CA | Doug LaMalfa | Oct 25, 2023 | |
| R-NJ | Thomas H. Kean, Jr. | Nov 2, 2023 | |
| D-NY | Daniel S. Goldman | Nov 8, 2023 | |
| D-TX | Lizzie Fletcher | Nov 8, 2023 | |
| D-NJ | Mikie Sherrill | Nov 8, 2023 | |
| R-NY | Nicholas A. Langworthy | Dec 1, 2023 | |
| D-FL | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | Dec 12, 2023 | |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Dec 19, 2023 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Dec 19, 2023 | |
| D-CA | Maxine Waters | Dec 19, 2023 | |
| D-OR | Andrea Salinas | Jan 10, 2024 | |
| D-FL | Lois Frankel | Jan 10, 2024 | |
| R-OH | David P. Joyce | Jan 29, 2024 | |
| R-FL | Laurel M. Lee | Feb 5, 2024 | |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | Feb 23, 2024 | |
| R-NY | Anthony D'Esposito | Mar 7, 2024 | |
| R-TN | Diana Harshbarger | Mar 7, 2024 | |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Mar 11, 2024 | |
| R-NY | Nicole Malliotakis | Mar 11, 2024 | |
| D-OR | Val T. Hoyle | Apr 2, 2024 | |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Apr 17, 2024 | |
| D-MD | David J. Trone | Jun 27, 2024 |
Committees 1
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 Feb 24, 2023 |
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Mar 20, 2023 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 20, 2023Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Feb 24, 2023Introduced in House
- Feb 24, 2023Referred to the House 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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 36, February 24, 2023, page H877.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 118-41 | EXAMINING THE COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET REQUEST AND RELATED POLICY MATTERS89 pages | Natural Resources Committee | Jun 22, 2023 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for a presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents for certain veterans who served in Guam.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Correcting Guam’s History in the PACT Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 24, 2023Introduced 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.
