Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) establish and maintain an open pit burn registry for members of the Armed Forces deployed in a contingency operation in Iraq or Afghanistan who may have been exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits used for disposing solid waste, (2) include in such registry information necessary to ascertain and monitor the health effects of such exposure, (3) develop a public information campaign to inform eligible individuals about the registry, and (4) periodically notify such individuals of significant developments in the study and treatment of conditions associated with such exposure.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) contract with an independent scientific organization to develop a report assessing the effectiveness of actions taken to collect and maintain information on the health effects of such exposure, and (2) submit the completed report to Congress.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3337 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3337
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an open burn
pit registry to ensure that members of the Armed Forces who may have
been exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits
while deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq receive information regarding
such exposure, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 3, 2011
Mr. Akin (for himself, Mr. Kissell, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Schiff, Mr.
Carson of Indiana, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Castor of Florida,
Mr. Lujan, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Owens, Mr. Hanna, Mr.
Pearce, Mr. Roe of Tennessee, Mr. Long, Mr. LoBiondo, Mr. Latham, and
Mr. Franks of Arizona) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an open burn
pit registry to ensure that members of the Armed Forces who may have
been exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits
while deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq receive information regarding
such exposure, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Open Burn Pit Registry Act of
2011''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGISTRY.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall--
(1) establish and maintain an open burn pit registry for
eligible individuals who may have been exposed to toxic
chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits;
(2) include any information in such registry that the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines necessary to ascertain
and monitor the health effects of the exposure of members of
the Armed Forces to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open
burn pits;
(3) develop a public information campaign to inform
eligible individuals about the open burn pit registry,
including how to register and the benefits of registering; and
(4) periodically notify eligible individuals of significant
developments in the study and treatment of conditions
associated with exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by
open burn pits.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
(a) Report by Independent Scientific Organization.--The Secretary
of Veterans Affairs shall enter into an agreement with an independent
scientific organization to develop a report containing the following:
(1) An assessment of the effectiveness of actions taken by
the Secretaries to collect and maintain information on the
health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes caused
by open burn pits.
(2) Recommendations to improve the collection and
maintenance of such information.
(3) Using established and previously published
epidemiological studies, recommendations regarding the most
effective and prudent means of addressing the medical needs of
eligible individuals with respect to conditions that are likely
to result from exposure to open burn pits.
(b) Submittal to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date
on which the registry under section 2 is established, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress the report developed under
subsection (a).
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``open burn pit'' means an area of land
located in Afghanistan or Iraq that--
(A) is designated by the Secretary of Defense to be
used for disposing solid waste by burning in the
outdoor air; and
(B) does not contain a commercially manufactured
incinerator or other equipment specifically designed
and manufactured for the burning of solid waste.
(2) The term ``eligible individual'' means any individual
who, on or after September 11, 2001--
(A) was deployed in support of a contingency
operation while serving in the Armed Forces; and
(B) during such deployment, was based or stationed
at a location where an open burn pit was used.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
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