[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5528 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5528

  To direct the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a plan for 
   improvements to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress 
                               research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2018

    Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Kelly of Mississippi, Mr. Brady of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. Shea-Porter, and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a plan for 
   improvements to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress 
                               research.

    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 ``Speed Warrior Outcomes, Research, 
Detection and Diagnosis Act of 2018'' or the ``SWORDD Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of Defense and the Defense and Veterans 
        Brain Injury Center estimate that 22 percent of all combat 
        casualties from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are brain 
        injuries, compared to 12 percent of Vietnam-related combat 
        casualties.
            (2) The complex physiology of the human brain presents 
        unique challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of these 
        injuries, and places significant emotional and financial 
        burdens on families living with those who suffer from post-
        traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.
            (3) Despite considerable effort and investment devoted to 
        the diagnosis and treatment of invisible wounds incurred from 
        military service during the past decade, detection and 
        diagnostic methods, therapies, and outcomes for post-traumatic 
        stress and traumatic brain injuries are still not reaching the 
        military and veteran population fast enough.
            (4) Accelerating innovation and treatment delivery for 
        brain disease, particularly traumatic brain injury and post-
        traumatic stress, would be assisted by policies to improve 
        collaboration between the Department of Defense, the National 
        Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 
        medical research translation offices at major universities.
            (5) Existing interagency mechanisms, such as the Federal 
        Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research and the Chronic 
        Effects Neurotrama Consortium, play an important role in 
        enabling breakthrough therapies for traumatic brain injury and 
        post-traumatic stress by sharing science between military and 
        nonmilitary patients affected by brain disease; however, new 
        partnerships, policies, and processes are required to speed 
        treatment by more effectively combining scientific research, 
        commercial technologies, and private equity firm resources to 
        accelerate the detection, diagnosis, and delivery of therapies 
        for military patients.
            (6) Within the Department of Defense, the Defense Health 
        Agency serves as the lead advocate for brain disease diagnosis 
        and treatment for members of the Armed Forces.

SEC. 3. PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND POST-
              TRAUMATIC STRESS RESEARCH.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense 
committees (as defined in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States 
Code) a report containing the following:
            (1) A plan--
                    (A) for the Director of the Defense Health Agency, 
                in collaboration with the National Institutes of 
                Health, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, major 
                universities, and private firms, as appropriate, to 
                accelerate cooperative research, development, and the 
                fielding of breakthrough therapies for traumatic brain 
                injury and post-traumatic stress;
                    (B) describing actions for the Director to maximize 
                the coordination and use of scientific research efforts 
                carried out by other elements of the Department of 
                Defense, the National Institutes of Health, the 
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs, major universities, and 
                private firms, as appropriate;
                    (C) describing the strategy of the Department of 
                Defense to leverage existing other transaction 
                agreements pursuant to section 2371 of title 10, United 
                States Code, such as the Medical Technology Enterprise 
                Consortium of the Army, to encourage financial 
                collaboration and accelerate breakthrough therapies for 
                the treatment of traumatic brain injury and post-
                traumatic stress; and
                    (D) describing new processes to accelerate 
                scientific research and delivery of breakthrough 
                therapies for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic 
                stress.
            (2) Recommendations by the Secretary for executive or 
        legislative actions necessary to carry out the plan.
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