[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5220-S5221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3422. Mr. MULLIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2026 for military activities of the Department

[[Page S5221]]

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 E of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 550. MEDICAL ACCESSION STANDARDS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
                   ARMED FORCES.

       Chapter 37 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``Sec. 658. Medical accession standards for members of the 
       armed forces

       ``(a) Establishment of Standards.--(1) The Secretaries 
     concerned shall establish uniform medical accession standards 
     for each armed force. Such standards shall--
       ``(A) apply uniformly for all commissioned officers of an 
     armed force; and
       ``(B) apply uniformly for all enlisted members of an armed 
     force across each occupational specialty.
       ``(2) The Secretary concerned shall make readily available 
     and understandable to potential members of the armed forces 
     the standards established under paragraph (1), including an 
     explanation of the process established under subsection 
     (c)(1) and the process for seeking approval under subsection 
     (c)(2).
       ``(b) Prohibition on Certain Medical Disqualifications.--No 
     person may be disqualified from serving as a member of the 
     armed forces on the sole basis of a past diagnosis of a 
     medical condition if--
       ``(1) the diagnosis occurred before such person reached the 
     age of 13 years old;
       ``(2) the condition did not require treatment during the 
     five-year period that ends on the date on which such person 
     seeks to become a member of the armed forces;
       ``(3) a licensed medical professional provides a current 
     evaluation affirming that such person does not meet 
     diagnostic criteria for the condition and is medically fit 
     for service as a member of the armed forces; and
       ``(4) the Secretary concerned determines such diagnosis is 
     unlikely to impact the health and readiness of the armed 
     force of which such person seeks to become a member.
       ``(c) Process for Review or Waiver of Medical 
     Disqualifications.--(1) The Secretary concerned shall 
     establish a process for the review of medical 
     disqualifications of persons seeking to become a member of 
     the armed forces.
       ``(2) The Secretary concerned may approve the accession of 
     a person into the armed forces without regard to a 
     disqualifying medical diagnosis if the Secretary concerned 
     determines that the accession of such person is in the 
     interests of national security.
       ``(d) Reports.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the congressional defense committees an annual report 
     identifying--
       ``(A) the number of persons disqualified from service as a 
     member of the armed forces during the preceding calendar year 
     due to medical history;
       ``(B) the number and type of approvals granted under 
     subsection (c)(2) during the preceding calendar year; and
       ``(C) any updates to the medical standards for accession 
     established under subsection (a) or the process established 
     under subsection (c)(1) since the submission of the preceding 
     report.
       ``(2) For any fiscal year in which the Secretary concerned 
     approves the accession of a person into the Coast Guard under 
     subsection (c)(2), the Secretary of the department in which 
     the Coast Guard is operating shall submit to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
     of Representatives a report identifying the information 
     required under paragraph (1)(B) with regards to such 
     member.''.
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