[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3958 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3958

 To require the Interagency Working Group on Toxic Exposure to conduct 
    research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of 
descendants of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as 
          members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2024

 Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Rubio) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Interagency Working Group on Toxic Exposure to conduct 
    research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of 
descendants of individuals exposed to toxic substances while serving as 
          members of the Armed Forces, 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 ``Molly R. Loomis Research for 
Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. RESEARCH ON DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF HEALTH CONDITIONS OF 
              DESCENDANTS OF INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED TO TOXIC SUBSTANCES 
              WHILE SERVING IN ARMED FORCES.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (b) of section 501 of the Sergeant 
First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address 
Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-168) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Establish Federal interagency task forces to conduct 
        collaborative research activities.''.
    (b) Reporting.--Subsection (c) of such section is amended by 
striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Not later than two years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act--
                    ``(A) a report containing a description of the 
                collaborative research activities identified by the 
                Working Group under subsection (b);
                    ``(B) the findings of the members of the Working 
                Group with respect to the collaborative research 
                activities described in subparagraph (A);
                    ``(C) the strategic plan developed, by the Working 
                Group under subsection (b); and
                    ``(D) such recommendations as the Working Group may 
                have for legislative or administrative action to 
                improve collaborative research activities among the 
                members of the Working Group.
            ``(3) Not less frequently than annually during the five-
        year period covered by the strategic plan developed under 
        subsection (b)--
                    ``(A) a summary of the collaborative research 
                activities carried out by the members of the Working 
                Group and the findings of the members with respect to 
                such research activities;
                    ``(B) a progress report on implementation of the 
                strategic plan developed by the Working Group under 
                subsection (b); and
                    ``(C) such recommendations as the Working Group may 
                have for legislative or administrative action to 
                improve collaborative research activities among members 
                of the Working Group.''.
    (c) Research Requirements.--Such section is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) as 
        subsections (d) through (f), respectively;
            (2) in subsection (e), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
        striking ``under subsection (c)'' and inserting ``under 
        subsection (d)''; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
        subsection (c):
    ``(c) Requirements Relating to Certain Research on Impacts to 
Descendants.--The Working Group and the Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry shall--
            ``(1) establish an interagency task force to conduct 
        research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of 
        descendants of toxic-exposed veteran (as defined in section 101 
        of title 38, United States Code); and
            ``(2) maintain a publicly available website with 
        information on the activities and findings of the Agency under 
        subparagraph (A), including a review of all relevant data to 
        determine the strength of evidence for a positive association 
        between a health condition researched and a toxic exposure risk 
        activity (as defined in section 1710(e)(4) of title 38, United 
        States Code) based on the categories set forth under section 
        1173(c)(2) of title 38, United States Code.''.
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