[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 119 (Monday, June 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3660-S3661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2217. Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms.
Rosen, Ms. Harris, and Mr. Markey) submitted an amendment intended to
be proposed by her to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for
fiscal year 2021 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 end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:
SEC. 752. STUDY ON THE INCIDENCE OF CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND
MORTALITY AMONG MILITARY AVIATORS AND AVIATION
SUPPORT PERSONNEL.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, in conjunction
with the National Institutes of Health and the National
Cancer Institute, shall conduct a study on cancer among
covered individuals in two phases as provided in this
subsection.
(2) Phase 1.--
(A) In general.--Under the initial phase of the study
conducted under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall
determine if there is a higher incidence of cancers occurring
for covered individuals as compared to similar age groups in
the general population through the use of the database of the
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the
National Cancer Institute.
(B) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report on the findings
of the initial phase of the study under subparagraph (A).
(3) Phase 2.--
(A) In general.--If, pursuant to the initial phase of the
study under paragraph (2), the Secretary concludes that there
is an increased rate of cancers among covered individuals,
the Secretary shall conduct a second phase of the study under
which the Secretary shall do the following:
(i) Identify the carcinogenic toxins or hazardous materials
associated with military flight operations from shipboard or
land bases or facilities, such as fuels, fumes, and other
liquids.
(ii) Identify the operating environments, including
frequencies or electromagnetic fields, where exposure to
ionizing radiation (associated with high altitude flight) and
nonionizing radiation (associated with airborne, ground, and
shipboard radars) occurred in which covered individuals could
have received increased radiation amounts.
(iii) Identify, for each covered individual, duty stations,
dates of service, aircraft flown, and additional duties
(including Landing Safety Officer, Catapult and Arresting
Gear Officer, Air Liaison Officer, Tactical Air Control
Party, or personnel associated with aircraft maintenance,
supply, logistics, fuels, or transportation) that could have
increased the risk of cancer for such covered individual.
(iv) Determine locations where a covered individual served
or additional duties of a covered individual that are
associated with higher incidences of cancers.
(v) Identify potential exposures due to service in the
Armed Forces that are not related to aviation, such as
exposure to burn pits or toxins in contaminated water,
embedded in the soil, or inside bases or housing.
(vi) Determine the appropriate age to begin screening
covered individuals for cancer based on race, gender, flying
hours, period of service as aviation support personnel, Armed
Force, type of aircraft, and mission.
(B) Data.--The Secretary shall format all data included in
the study conducted under this paragraph in accordance with
the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of
the National Cancer Institute, including by disaggregating
such data by race, gender, and age.
[[Page S3661]]
(C) Report.--Not later than one year after the submittal of
the report under paragraph (2)(B), if the Secretary conducts
the second phase of the study under this paragraph, the
Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report on the findings of the study conducted
under this paragraph.
(4) Use of data from previous studies.--In conducting the
study under this subsection, the Secretary of Defense shall
incorporate data from previous studies conducted by the Air
Force, the Navy, or the Marine Corps that are relevant to the
study under this subsection, including data from the
comprehensive study conducted by the Air Force identifying
each covered individual and documenting the cancers, dates of
diagnoses, and mortality of each covered individual.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committee of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Armed forces.--The term ``Armed Forces''--
(A) has the meaning given the term ``armed forces'' in
section 101 of title 10, United States Code; and
(B) includes the reserve components named in section 10101
of such title.
(3) Covered individual.--The term ``covered individual''--
(A) means an aviator or aviation support personnel who--
(i) served in the Armed Forces on or after February 28,
1961; and
(ii) receives benefits under chapter 55 of title 10, United
States Code; and
(B) includes any air crew member of fixed-wing aircraft and
personnel supporting generation of the aircraft, including
pilots, navigators, weapons systems operators, aircraft
system operators, personnel associated with aircraft
maintenance, supply, logistics, fuels, or transportation, and
any other crew member who regularly flies in an aircraft or
is required to complete the mission of the aircraft.
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