[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3698-S3699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1530. Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Brown) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to
the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016
for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military
construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1085. PREFERENCE ELIGIBLE TREATMENT FOR FATHERS OF
CERTAIN PERMANENTLY DISABLED OR DECEASED
VETERANS.
(a) In General.--Section 2108(3) of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by striking subparagraphs (F) and (G) and
inserting the following:
``(F) the parent of an individual who lost his or her life
under honorable conditions while serving in the armed forces
during a period named by paragraph (1)(A) of this section,
if--
``(i) the spouse of that parent is totally and permanently
disabled; or
``(ii) that parent, when preference is claimed, is
unmarried or, if married, legally separated from his or her
spouse;
``(G) the parent of a service-connected permanently and
totally disabled veteran, if--
``(i) the spouse of that parent is totally and permanently
disabled; or
``(ii) that parent, when preference is claimed, is
unmarried or, if married, legally separated from his or her
spouse; and''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section
shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
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SA 1531. Mr. WYDEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities
of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to
prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of part II of subtitle D of title V, add the
following:
SEC. 540. REQUIREMENT TO USE HUMAN-BASED METHODS FOR CERTAIN
MEDICAL TRAINING.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Department of Defense has made impressive strides
in the development and use of methods of medical training and
troop protection, such as the use of tourniquets and
improvements in body armor, that have led to decreased
battlefield fatalities.
(2) The Department of Defense uses more than 8,500 live
animals each year to train physicians, medics, corpsmen, and
other personnel methods of responding 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 using
animals.
(4) Human-based medical training methods such as simulators
replicate human anatomy and can allow for repetitive practice
and data collection.
(5) According to scientific, peer-reviewed literature,
medical simulation increases patient safety and decreases
errors by healthcare providers.
(6) The Army Research, Development and Engineering Command
and other entities of the Department of Defense have taken
significant steps to develop methods to replace live animal-
based training.
[[Page S3699]]
(7) According to the report by the Department of Defense
titled ``Final Report on the use of Live Animals in Medical
Education and Training Joint Analysis Team'', published on
July 12, 2009--
(A) validated, high-fidelity simulators were to have been
available for nearly every high-volume or high-value
battlefield medical procedure by the end of 2011, and many
were available as of 2009; and
(B) validated, high-fidelity simulators were to have been
available to teach all other procedures to respond to common
battlefield injuries by 2014.
(8) The Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness
Skills of the Air Force exclusively uses human-based training
methods in its courses and does not use animals.
(9) In 2013, the Army instituted a policy forbidding non-
medical personnel from participating in training courses
involving the use of animals.
(10) In 2013, the medical school of the Department of
Defense, part of the Uniformed Services University of the
Health Sciences, replaced animal use within its medical
student curriculum.
(11) The Coast Guard announced in 2014 that it would reduce
by half the number of animals it uses for combat trauma
training courses but stated that animals would continue to be
used in courses designed for Department of Defense personnel.
(12) Effective January 1, 2015, the Department of Defense
replaced animal use in six areas of medical training,
including Advanced Trauma Life Support courses and the
development and maintenance of surgical and critical care
skills for field operational surgery and field assessment and
skills tests for international students offered at the
Defense Institute of Medical Operations.
(b) Requirement to Use Human-based Methods for Certain
Medical Training.--
(1) In general.--Chapter 101 of title 10, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``Sec. 2017. Use of human-based methods for certain medical
training
``(a) Combat Trauma Injuries.--(1) Not later than October
1, 2018, the Secretary of Defense shall develop, test, and
validate human-based training methods for the purpose of
training members of the armed forces in the treatment of
combat trauma injuries with the goal of replacing live
animal-based training methods.
``(2) Not later than October 1, 2020, the Secretary--
``(A) 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
``(B) may not use animals for such purpose.
``(b) Exception for Particular Commands and Training
Methods.--(1) The Secretary may exempt a particular command,
particular training method, or both, from the requirement for
human-based training methods under subsection (a)(2) if the
Secretary determines that human-based training methods will
not provide an educationally equivalent or superior
substitute for live animal-based training methods for such
command or training method, as the case may be.
``(2) Any exemption under this subsection shall be for such
period, not more than one year, as the Secretary shall
specify in granting the exemption. Any exemption may be
renewed (subject to the preceding sentence).
``(c) Annual Reports.--(1) Not later than October 1, 2016,
and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the
congressional defense committees a report on the development
and implementation of human-based training methods for the
purpose of training members of the armed forces in the
treatment of combat trauma injuries under this section.
``(2) Each report under this subsection on or after October
1, 2020, shall include a description of any exemption under
subsection (b) that is in force as the time of such report,
and a current justification for such exemption.
``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `combat trauma injuries' means severe
injuries likely to occur during combat, including--
``(A) hemorrhage;
``(B) tension pneumothorax;
``(C) amputation resulting from blast injury;
``(D) compromises to the airway; and
``(E) 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.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of chapter 101 of such title is amended by adding
at the end the following new item:
``2017. Use of human-based methods for certain medical training.''.
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