[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3712 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3712

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the research 
  activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to women 
                               veterans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 1996

Ms. Brown of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the research 
  activities of the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to women 
                               veterans.

    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 ``Women Veterans Research Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Health care for veterans has traditionally been 
        considered in terms of male veterans and most research 
        conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs is focused on 
        male veterans.
            (2) Department of Veterans Affairs researchers are 
        responsible for developing both the CAT scan and the MRI 
        technology.
            (3) Department researchers are responsible for many medical 
        ``firsts'', including the first liver transplant, the first 
        effective therapy for tuberculosis, and the first artificial 
        kidney.
            (4) Department researchers are on the forefront of 
        therapeutic discoveries, including aspirin therapy for heart 
        disease, implantable insulin pumps for diabetes, surgical 
        treatment to reduce the risk of stroke, specialized drug 
        treatment for high blood pressure, and treatment options for 
        prostate cancer.
            (5) The primary mission of the Department's rehabilitation 
        research and development activities is to develop devices to 
        assist veterans in need of prosthetic devices, sensory aids, 
        and mobility assistance.
            (6) The mission of the Health Services Research and 
        Development Service of the Department is to develop and conduct 
        research that integrates clinical needs and research inquiry to 
        enhance the quality of health care delivery to veterans.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF RESEARCH RELATING TO WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) Inclusion of Women and Minorities in Health Research.--Section 
7303(c)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``, whenever possible and appropriate--
        '' in the matter preceding paragraph (1);
            (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting before the semicolon 
        ``(except in the case of a research project which by its nature 
        is inapplicable to women veterans) and that such inclusion is 
        ongoing and continuous, with monitoring strategies and 
        evaluations in effect to ensure that a sufficient number of 
        women veterans are included to establish statistical 
        significance''; and
            (3) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``whenever possible and 
        appropriate,'' before ``members''.
    (b) Health Research Relating to Women.--Section 7303(d) of such 
title is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(3) The Secretary shall foster and encourage research under this 
section on the following matters as they relate to women:
            ``(A) Breast cancer and other primarily gender-specific 
        cancers that may relate to the military service of women.
            ``(B) Gynecological and reproductive health, including 
        gynecological cancer, infertility, sexually-transmitted 
        diseases, pregnancy, and post-partum phenomena.
            ``(C) Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune 
        Deficiency Syndrome.
            ``(D) Mental health, including post-traumatic stress 
        disorder, depression, combat related stress, and trauma.
            ``(E) Diseases related to aging, including menopause, 
        osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's Disease.
            ``(F) Substance abuse.
            ``(G) Spousal abuse.
            ``(H) Sexual violence and related trauma.
            ``(I) Exposure to toxic chemicals and other environmental 
        hazards, including the potential risk to fertility and 
        reproductive health.
            ``(J) Cardiac care and heart disease.
            ``(K) The comparative prevalence of hysterectomies and 
        other surgeries performed on women who have served in the 
        military.
            ``(L) The physical and psychological causes and effects of 
        homelessness among women veterans.
    ``(4) The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
ensure that personnel of the Department of Veterans Affairs engaged in 
the research referred to in paragraph (1) include the following:
            ``(A) Personnel of the geriatric research, education, and 
        clinical centers designated pursuant to section 7314 of this 
        title.
            ``(B) Personnel of the National Center for Post-Traumatic 
        Stress Disorder established pursuant to section 110(c) of the 
        Veterans Health Care Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-528; 98 Stat. 
        2692).
    ``(5) The Secretary shall ensure that personnel of the Department 
engaged in research relating to the health of women veterans are 
advised and informed of such research engaged in by other personnel of 
the Department.''.
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