[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5855. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2023 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. 753. STUDY AND REPORT ON RATE OF CANCER-RELATED 
                   MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FOR INDIVIDUALS 
                   ASSIGNED TO PEASE AIR FORCE BASE AND PEASE AIR 
                   NATIONAL GUARD BASE.

       (a) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     conduct, or enter into a contract with an appropriate 
     federally funded research and development center to conduct, 
     a study to assess whether individuals (including individuals 
     on active duty in the Armed Forces or in a reserve component 
     of the Armed Forces) assigned to Pease Air Force Base or 
     Pease Air National Guard Base for a significant period of 
     time during the period beginning on January 1, 1970, and 
     ending on December 31, 2020, experience a higher-than-
     expected rate of cancer-related morbidity and mortality as a 
     result of time on base or exposures associated with time on 
     base compared to the rate of cancer-related morbidity and 
     mortality of the general population of the United States, 
     accounting for differences in sex, age, and race.
       (b) Inclusion in Military Exposure Research Program.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting 
     through the Office of Research and Development and the Office 
     of Health Outcomes Military Exposures of the Veterans Health 
     Administration, shall include Pease Air Force Base and Pease 
     Air National Guard Base in the Military Exposure Research 
     Program of the Veterans Health Administration and shall 
     request from the Department of Defense and any applicable 
     authorities of the State of New Hampshire access to any 
     necessary data, personnel, and assistance necessary to 
     navigate policies related to conducting research at an 
     installation of the National Guard in New Hampshire.
       (2) Satisfaction of study requirement.--If the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs successfully includes Pease Air Force Base 
     and Pease Air National Guard Base in the Military Exposure 
     Research Program under paragraph (1), the inclusion of those 
     installations in that program shall satisfy the requirement 
     to conduct the study under subsection (a).
       (c) Completion of Study; Report.--Not later than one year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall--
       (1) complete the study required under subsection (a); and
       (2) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report on the results of the study.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Significant period of time.--The term ``significant 
     period of time'' has the meaning given that term by the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs or the entity conducting the 
     study under subsection (a), as the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
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