[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1677. Mr. UDALL 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 C of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 738. SUBMITTAL OF INFORMATION TO SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS RELATING TO EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE 
                   HAZARDS AND OPEN BURN PITS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and periodically thereafter, the 
     Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs such information in the possession of the 
     Secretary of Defense as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     considers necessary to supplement and support--
       (1) the development of information to be included in the 
     Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry established by 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs under section 201 of the 
     Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act 
     of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note); and
       (2) research and development activities conducted by the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs to explore the potential 
     health risks of exposure by members of the Armed Forces to 
     environmental factors in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular 
     the connection of such exposure to respiratory illnesses such 
     as chronic cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 
     constrictive bronchiolitis, and pulmonary fibrosis.
       (b) Inclusion of Certain Information.--The Secretary of 
     Defense shall include in the information submitted to the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subsection (a) 
     information on any research and surveillance efforts 
     conducted by the Department of Defense to evaluate the 
     incidence and prevalence of respiratory illnesses among 
     members of the Armed Forces who were exposed to open burn 
     pits while deployed overseas.
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