[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3375-S3376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 264. Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Mr. Rounds) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 1790, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, 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 appropriate place in title VII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. __. REGISTRY OF INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED TO PERFLUOROALKYL 
                   AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES ON MILITARY 
                   INSTALLATIONS.

       (a) Establishment of Registry.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall--
       (A) establish and maintain a registry for eligible 
     individuals who may have been exposed to perfluoroalkyl and 
     polyfluoroalkyl substances (in this section referred to as 
     ``PFAS'') due to the environmental release of aqueous film-
     forming foam (in this section referred to as ``AFFF'') on 
     military installations to meet the requirements of military 
     specification MIL-F-24385F;
       (B) include any information in such registry that the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines necessary to 
     ascertain and monitor the health effects of the exposure of 
     members of the Armed Forces to PFAS associated with AFFF;

[[Page S3376]]

       (C) develop a public information campaign to inform 
     eligible individuals about the registry, including how to 
     register and the benefits of registering; and
       (D) periodically notify eligible individuals of significant 
     developments in the study and treatment of conditions 
     associated with exposure to PFAS.
       (2) Coordination.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     coordinate with the Secretary of Defense in carrying out 
     paragraph (1).
       (b) Reports.--
       (1) Initial report.--Not later than two years after the 
     date on which the registry under subsection (a) is 
     established, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
     to Congress an initial report containing the following:
       (A) An assessment of the effectiveness of actions taken by 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of 
     Defense to collect and maintain information on the health 
     effects of exposure to PFAS.
       (B) Recommendations to improve the collection and 
     maintenance of such information.
       (C) Using established and previously published 
     epidemiological studies, recommendations regarding the most 
     effective and prudent means of addressing the medical needs 
     of eligible individuals with respect to exposure to PFAS.
       (2) Follow-up report.--Not later than five years after 
     submitting the initial report under paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a 
     follow-up report containing the following:
       (A) An update to the initial report submitted under 
     paragraph (1).
       (B) An assessment of whether and to what degree the content 
     of the registry established under subsection (a) is current 
     and scientifically up-to-date.
       (3) Independent scientific organization.--The Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall enter into an agreement with an 
     independent scientific organization to prepare the reports 
     under paragraphs (1) and (2).
       (c) Recommendations for Additional Exposures to Be 
     Included.--Not later than five years after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, and every five years thereafter, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, shall submit to Congress 
     recommendations for additional chemicals with respect to 
     which individuals exposed to such chemicals should be 
     included in the registry established under subsection (a).
       (d) Eligible Individual Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``eligible individual'' means any individual who, on or after 
     a date specified by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs through 
     regulations, served or is serving in the Armed Forces at a 
     military installation where AFFF was used or at another 
     location of the Department of Defense where AFFF was used.
                                 ______