HR 705 · 119th Congress 2025–2027

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a compensation fund for military firefighters exposed to PFAS.

Fact sheet

Latest action · Jan 23, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

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.

  1. IntroducedJan 23, 2025
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish the Military Firefighters Compensation Fund to provide compensation to current and former military firefighters, or survivors of such firefighters, for illnesses incurred in the line of duty due to exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects.

Under the bill, current and former military firefighters are presumed to have been exposed to PFAS (in the absence of substantial evidence to the contrary) if the firefighter was employed at a military installation, facility of the National Guard, or formerly used defense site during a period when PFAS would have been present at such facility.

The bill provides that in cases where a military firefighter is deceased at the time of payment of compensation, the surviving spouse must receive the payment. If there is no surviving spouse, the bill provides for the order of distribution to other surviving parties (e.g., a child or parent of the firefighter). The bill also provides that a survivor of a firefighter may file a claim for compensation if the firefighter dies before filing a claim.

DOD must furnish the services, appliances, and supplies prescribed or recommended to a military firefighter who is receiving medical benefits for an illness related to PFAS exposure. Additionally, such firefighter may be furnished necessary and reasonable transportation and expenses incident to securing care for such illness.

Cosponsors 3

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 23, 2025 to Apr 17, 2025, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-NYMichael LawlerOriginalJan 23, 2025
R-PABrian K. FitzpatrickMar 11, 2025
D-COJoe NeguseApr 17, 2025

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jan 23, 2025Introduced in House
  2. Jan 23, 2025Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jan 23, 2025Introduced in House

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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.