[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AGENT ORANGE BENEFITS ACT OF 1996

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 31, 1996

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Agent Orange 
Benefits Act of 1996. The legislation provides necessary medical care 
and compensation to a new class of citizens who have sacrificed their 
health in the defense of our Nation--the children of agent orange-
exposed Vietnam veterans who were born with Spina Bifida.
  The legislation, proposed by the administration after close 
coordination with veterans services organizations and the disabilities 
community, is the result of a process set into place by the Agent 
Orange Act of 1991. The act established the process in which the 
National Academy of Sciences' [NAS] Institute of Medicine [IOM] issues 
reports every 2 years on the existing scientific evidence relating to 
Vietnam veterans' exposure to agent orange. The IOM's latest report 
confirmed what Vietnam veterans have known all along--that agent orange 
has and will continue to exact a high price on themselves and their 
families. The report specifically found that there is limited 
suggestive evidence of an association between agent orange exposure to 
vets and the occurrence of spina bifida in their children.
  The bill I am introducing today is consistent with legislative action 
we have taken in the past with respect to veterans who suffered from 
conditions in the ``second tier'' of the NAS report. As with previous 
legislative relief we have granted veterans, my bill ensures that the 
VA has the authority to provide health care and appropriate 
compensation. Specifically, the bill gives the Secretary of the VA the 
authority to provide the extensive medical help needed by children 
suffering from spina bifida, including important case management 
services. The bill also gives the Secretary the flexibility to contract 
for care from private sources to ensure that appropriate medical 
services are provided.
  I applaud the administration's quick and decisive movement on this 
issue. In particular, Secretary Brown should be congratulated for the 
strong action he took in ensuring that the administration proposed 
comprehensive legislation that guarantees that these children will be 
properly cared for and compensated.
  I hope that we can take quick action on this legislation. The bottom 
line is that we have sick children who have paid the price because of 
their father's service to our Nation. They need and deserve the best 
that our nation can give them. I urge my colleagues to support this 
important legislation.

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