[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1439 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1439

  To require the Secretary of Defense to include gambling disorder in 
health assessments for members of the Armed Forces and related research 
                 efforts of the Department of Defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 26, 2017

  Ms. Warren introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Defense to include gambling disorder in 
health assessments for members of the Armed Forces and related research 
                 efforts of the Department of Defense.

    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 ``Preventing and Treating Gambling 
Disorder in the Military Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Gambling disorder is a public health concern 
        characterized by increasing preoccupation with gambling, loss 
        of control, restlessness, or irritability when attempting to 
        stop gambling, and continuation of the gambling behavior in 
        spite of mounting serious, negative consequences.
            (2) Gambling disorder is an addiction similar to substance-
        use disorders, such as those associated with alcohol and drugs.
            (3) Gambling disorder is associated with a higher risk of 
        suicide attempts, substance-use disorders, and other mental-
        health conditions, in addition to being associated with 
        financial and legal problems.
            (4) According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 
        it is estimated that as many as 56,000 active duty members of 
        the Armed Forces meet criteria for gambling disorder.
            (5) However, according to the Department of Defense, only 
        about 120 military personnel were diagnosed with gambling 
        disorder or were seen for problem gambling each year between 
        fiscal year 2011 and fiscal year 2015.
            (6) Less than 10 percent of people with gambling problems 
        seek help due to shame, stigma, and misunderstanding of the 
        nature of gambling disorder.
            (7) In addition to factors specified in paragraph (6), 
        military personnel might not seek help for gambling problems 
        due to lack of services specific to problem gambling and fear 
        of jeopardizing their career or security clearance.
            (8) According to a 2017 report by the Government 
        Accountability Office--
                    (A) the Department of Defense operates more than 
                3,100 slot machines at military installations overseas 
                that are available to members of the Armed Forces and 
                their families;
                    (B) those slot machines generate approximately 
                $100,000,000 in revenue for the Department, which is 
                used for further recreational activities for members of 
                the Armed Forces;
                    (C) the Department and the Coast Guard do not 
                systematically screen for gambling disorder; and
                    (D) the Department and the Coast Guard do not 
                address gambling disorder in a similar manner to other 
                addictive disorders, such as alcohol-related disorders.

SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF GAMBLING DISORDER IN HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AND 
              RELATED RESEARCH EFFORTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    (a) Annual Periodic Health Assessment.--The Secretary of Defense 
shall incorporate medical screening questions specific to gambling 
disorder into the Annual Periodic Health Assessment (DD Form 3024) 
conducted by the Department of Defense for members of the Armed Forces.
    (b) Research Efforts.--The Secretary shall incorporate into ongoing 
research efforts of the Department questions on gambling disorder, as 
appropriate, including by restoring such questions into the Health 
Related Behaviors Survey of Active Duty Military Personnel.
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