[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 126 (Thursday, August 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3230. Mr. WELCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 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 H of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1095. BURN PIT REGISTRY UPDATES.

       (a) Individuals Eligible to Update.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     shall take actions necessary to ensure that the burn pit 
     registry may be updated with the cause of death of a deceased 
     registered individual by--
       (A) an individual designated by such deceased registered 
     individual; or
       (B) if no such individual is designated, an immediate 
     family member of such deceased registered individual.
       (2) Designation.--The Secretary shall provide, with respect 
     to the burn pit registry, a process by which a registered 
     individual may make a designation for purposes of paragraph 
     (1)(A).
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Burn pit registry.--The term ``burn pit registry'' 
     means the registry established 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).
       (2) Immediate family member.--The term ``immediate family 
     member'', with respect to a deceased individual, means--
       (A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or adult child of 
     the individual;
       (B) an adult person to whom the individual stands in loco 
     parentis; or
       (C) any other adult person--
       (i) living in the household of the individual at the time 
     of the death of the individual; and
       (ii) related to the individual by blood or marriage.
       (3) Registered individual.--The term ``registered 
     individual'' means an individual registered with the burn pit 
     registry.
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