I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4269 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 10, 2009 Mr. Filner (for himself, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Stark, Mr. Farr, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Peters, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Rothman of New Jersey, and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Defense to use only human-based methods for training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of severe combat and chemical and biological injuries.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training Practices Act or BEST Practices Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)The Department of Defense has made impressive strides in the development and use of methods of medical training and protection of members of the Armed Forces, such as the use of tourniquets and improvements in body armor, that have likely led to decreased battlefield fatalities. (2)The Department of Defense uses live monkeys to train medical personnel to treat casualties of chemical and biological agent attacks and uses live goats and pigs to teach physicians, medics, corpsmen, and other personnel methods to respond to severe battlefield injuries. (3)The civilian sector has almost exclusively phased-in the use of superior human-based training methods for numerous medical procedures currently taught in military courses with the use of animals. (4)Human-based methods have been developed and validated for training responses to common battlefield injuries and chemical and biological agent attacks. (5)Management of hemorrhage, sucking chest wounds, airway compromise, and many other combat trauma injuries can be taught using numerous medical simulators and partial task trainers. (6)Entirely human-based curricula (consisting of medical simulation and moulage training sessions) for the management of patients exposed to biological and chemical agents are widespread in civilian hospitals.

3.

Requirement to use human-based methods for certain medical training

(a)

In general

Chapter 101 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

2016.

Requirement to use human-based methods for certain medical training

(a)

Combat trauma injuries

Not later than October 1, 2013, the Secretary of Defense— (1)shall only use human-based training methods for the purpose of training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of combat trauma injuries; and (2)may not use animals for such purpose. (b)

Chemical and biological casualty management

The Secretary— (1)shall only use human-based training methods for the purpose of training members of the Armed Forces in the management of chemical and biological casualties; and (2)may not use animals for such purpose. (c)

Definitions

In this section: (1)The term combat trauma injuries means severe injuries likely to occur during combat, including— (A)hemorrhage related to a wound to the extremities; (B)sucking-chest wounds; (C)compromises to the airway; and (D)other injuries. (2)The term human-based training methods means, with respect to training individuals in medical treatment, the use of systems and devices that do not use animals, including— (A)simulators; (B)partial task trainers; (C)moulage; (D)simulated combat environments; (E)human cadavers; and (F)rotations in civilian and military trauma centers. (3)The term partial task trainers means training aids that allow individuals to learn or practice specific medical procedures.

. (b)

Clerical amendment

The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 101 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item: 2016. Requirement to use human-based methods for certain medical training. .