[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9097-9101]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              GULF WAR HEALTH RESEARCH REFORM ACT OF 2014

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4261) to improve the research of Gulf War Illness, 
the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4261

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Gulf War Health Research 
     Reform Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON GULF 
                   WAR VETERANS' ILLNESSES.

       (a) Independence of Committee.--Subsection (b) of section 
     707 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-
     585; 38 U.S.C. 527 note) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Not later than'' and inserting ``(1) 
     Establishment.--Not later than''; and

[[Page 9098]]

       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(2) Independence.--(A) The Committee established under 
     paragraph (1) shall be an independent advisory committee 
     which shall provide advice and counsel to the congressional 
     veterans committees and to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     (as the head of the department designated under subsection 
     (a) that established the Committee under paragraph (1)).
       ``(B) In carrying out the functions, powers, and duties of 
     the Committee, the Committee shall be independent of the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The Committee shall exert 
     independent control of the budget allocations, staffing 
     levels and expenditures, personnel decisions and processes, 
     procurements, and other administrative and management 
     functions of the Committee. The administration and management 
     of the Committee shall be subject to the usual and customary 
     Federal audit procedures.
       ``(3) Duties.--(A) The Committee shall provide to Congress, 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the heads of other 
     departments and agencies of the Federal Government that 
     conduct research on illnesses in Gulf War veterans advice 
     with respect to proposed research studies, research plans, or 
     research strategies relating to the health consequences of 
     military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations 
     during the Gulf War.
       ``(B) The Committee may not conduct scientific research or 
     review research proposals submitted to the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs prior to funding. The Secretary shall 
     appoint three members from the Committee who have appropriate 
     scientific expertise to the committee designated to review 
     such research proposals relating to illnesses in Gulf War 
     veterans.
       ``(C) The guiding principle for the Committee shall be the 
     premise that the fundamental goal of Gulf War health-related 
     research, either basic or applied, conducted by the Federal 
     Government is to ultimately improve the health of ill Gulf 
     War veterans, and that the choice and success of research 
     efforts shall be judged accordingly. The Committee shall 
     assess the overall effectiveness of such research conducted 
     by the Federal Government to answer central questions on the 
     nature, causes, and treatments for health consequences of 
     military service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations 
     during the Gulf War.
       ``(D) The Committee shall meet in public session to review 
     research funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs 
     relevant to understanding and treating the health 
     consequences of military service in the Gulf War, and the 
     processes conducted to solicit, review, and select such 
     funded research to assess methods, results, and implications 
     of such research. The Committee may review research plans, 
     initiatives, and activities from other departments and 
     agencies of the Federal Government supporting research 
     relating to the health consequences of military service in 
     the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Gulf War.
       ``(4) Reports and Recommendations.--(A) Not later than 
     December 1 of each year, the Committee shall submit to the 
     congressional veterans committees and the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs an annual report summarizing the activities 
     of the Committee during the period covered by the report.
       ``(B) The Committee shall submit to the congressional 
     veterans committees, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and 
     the head of any other department or agency of the Federal 
     Government that conducts research on illnesses in Gulf War 
     veterans any other reports and recommendations of the 
     Committee regarding Gulf War-related research.
       ``(C) Reports, recommendations, publications, and other 
     documents of the Committee shall not be subject to review or 
     approval by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
       ``(D) The Committee may submit to the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs proposed recommendations of the Committee for comment 
     for a period not to exceed 30 days.
       ``(E) Each report submitted by the Committee shall be 
     approved by the Committee meeting in public session prior to 
     such submission.
       ``(5) Membership.--(A) The Committee shall be composed of 
     12 members appointed as follows:
       ``(i) One member appointed jointly by the chairman of the 
     congressional veterans committees, who shall serve as 
     chairman of the Committee.
       ``(ii) Two members appointed by the chairman of the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       ``(iii) Two members appointed by the chairman of the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate.
       ``(iv) Two members appointed by the ranking member of the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       ``(v) Two members appointed by the ranking member of the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate.
       ``(vi) Three members appointed by the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs, of whom not less than one shall be a veteran.
       ``(B)(i) The first 11 vacancies from among the members of 
     the Committee (not including a member serving as chairman of 
     the Committee) occurring on or after the date of the 
     enactment of the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 
     shall be filled by--
       ``(I) the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 
     the House of Representatives appointing a member for the 
     first and sixth vacancy;
       ``(II) the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
     of the Senate appointing a member for the second and seventh 
     vacancy;
       ``(III) the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives appointing a member 
     for the third and eighth vacancy;
       ``(IV) the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs of the Senate appointing a member for the fourth and 
     ninth vacancy; and
       ``(V) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs appointing a member 
     for the fifth, tenth, and eleventh vacancy.
       ``(ii) A vacancy in the Committee of a member serving as 
     chairman shall be filled jointly by the chairmen of the 
     congressional veterans committees.
       ``(iii) Except as provided by clause (i) or (ii), a vacancy 
     in the Committee of a member shall be filled in the manner in 
     which the appointment of such member was made. A member 
     appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration 
     of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed 
     shall be appointed only for the remainder of that term.
       ``(C) Of the members of the Committee who are appointed on 
     or after the date of the enactment of the Gulf War Health 
     Research Reform Act of 2014--
       ``(i) not fewer than three members shall be veterans;
       ``(ii) not fewer than eight members shall be scientists or 
     physicians who have experience in biomedicine, epidemiology, 
     immunology, environmental health, neurology, toxicology, or 
     other appropriate disciplines; and
       ``(iii) the chairman shall be a veteran or an expert 
     described in clause (ii), or both.
       ``(D) Each member of the Committee who is appointed on or 
     after the date of the enactment of the Gulf War Health 
     Research Reform Act of 2014 shall be appointed for a three-
     year term. Except as provided by section 2(c)(3) of such Act, 
     a member may be reappointed once (not including the initial 
     appointment of a member made before the date of the enactment 
     of such Act).
       ``(6) Meetings.--(A) The Committee shall meet at the call 
     of the chairman, but not less than twice annually.
       ``(B) A majority of the members of the Committee shall 
     constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold 
     hearings.
       ``(C)(i) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the head of the 
     Office of Research and Development of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and the head of the Office of Public Health 
     of the Department shall attend each meeting of the Committee.
       ``(ii) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may delegate the 
     attendance of the Secretary under clause (i) to a level not 
     below the Deputy Under Secretary for Health of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs, but the Secretary shall attend at least 
     one meeting each year without making such delegation.
       ``(D) Each meeting of the Committee shall be open to the 
     public.
       ``(7) Compensation and Staff.--(A) Except with respect to a 
     member who serves a scientific director under subparagraph 
     (C)(ii) and is treated as staff for purposes of compensation, 
     each member of the Committee shall be paid at the daily rate 
     provided for temporary and intermittent services under 
     section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, for each day 
     during which the member attends meetings of the Committee.
       ``(B) The members of the Committee shall be allowed travel 
     expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 
     authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 
     chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 
     their homes or regular places of business in the performance 
     of service of the Committee.
       ``(C)(i) The chairman of the Committee may appoint a staff 
     of not more than four employees to provide the Committee 
     scientific and administrative support. Such employees may 
     be--
       ``(I) detailees of the Department of Veterans Affairs or 
     other departments or agencies of the Federal Government;
       ``(II) individuals employed as temporary employees of the 
     Federal Government; or
       ``(III) at the request of the chairman of the Committee, 
     provided under a contract entered into by the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs and a medical school or other medical 
     research institution selected by the chairman of the 
     Committee.
       ``(ii) The chairman of the Committee may appoint, from the 
     members of the Committee, a scientific director to supervise 
     the operations of the Committee. Such director shall count as 
     one of the four employees authorized under clause (i).
       ``(iii) At the request of the chairman of the Committee, 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall procure services from 
     nongovernmental consultants to assist the Committee in 
     preparing reports, background papers, and other material for 
     consideration by the Committee. Such services may be procured 
     under the contract described in clause (i)(III).
       ``(8) Application of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--(A) 
     Except as otherwise

[[Page 9099]]

     provided by this subsection, the Committee shall be subject 
     to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
       ``(B) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall consult with 
     the chairman of the congressional veterans committees in 
     designating an officer or employee of the Department under 
     section 10 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
     App.).
       ``(C) Notwithstanding such section 10, such designated 
     officer or employee may not have authority--
       ``(i) over the agenda or conduct of a meeting;
       ``(ii) to adjourn a meeting of the Committee; or
       ``(iii) to take any other action that is inconsistent with 
     the independence of the Committee under paragraph (2).
       ``(9) Funding.--Amounts for the activities of the Committee 
     shall be derived from amounts appropriated to the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs for purposes of this subsection.
       ``(10) Termination.--(A) Except as provided by subparagraph 
     (B), the Committee shall terminate on the date that is two 
     years after the date on which the Committee submits to the 
     congressional veterans committees, the Secretary of Defense, 
     and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs a report (signed by not 
     less than nine concurring members) explaining that each 
     Secretary is carrying out an effective research program 
     relating to the health consequences of military service in 
     the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Gulf War.
       ``(B) If during the two-year period described in 
     subparagraph (A) the Committee notifies the congressional 
     veterans committees, the Secretary of Defense, and the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs that the information contained 
     in the report submitted under subparagraph (A) is no longer 
     applicable, the two-year period shall toll until the date on 
     which the Committee submits a new report described in 
     subparagraph (A).''.
       (b) Definitions; Redesignation; Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Definitions.--Such section 707 is further amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) The term `congressional veterans committees' means 
     the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate.
       ``(2) The term `Gulf War' means the Southwest Asia theater 
     of operations from August 2, 1990, to July 31, 1991.
       ``(3) The term `Gulf War veteran' means an individual who 
     served as a member of the Armed Forces in the Gulf War.''.
       (2) Redesignation.--Subsection (a) of such section 707 is 
     amended by striking ``, and may redesignate from time to 
     time,''.
       (3) Conforming amendments.--Such section 707 is further 
     amended--
       (A) in paragraph (1) of subsection (b), as designated by 
     subsection (a)(1) and amended by paragraph (2)--
       (i) by inserting ``(in this subsection referred to as the 
     `Committee')'' after ``an advisory committee''; and
       (ii) by striking ``and representatives of such veterans'' 
     and inserting ``representatives of such veterans, and 
     individuals from the scientific and medical community'';
       (B) by striking ``Persian Gulf theater of operations during 
     the Persian Gulf War'' each place it appears and inserting 
     ``Gulf War'';
       (C) by striking ``Persian Gulf War veterans'' each place it 
     appears and inserting ``Gulf War veterans''; and
       (D) by striking ``during the Persian Gulf War'' each place 
     it appears and inserting ``during the Gulf War''.
       (c) Members Currently Serving.--
       (1) Membership.--Notwithstanding paragraph (5)(A) of 
     subsection (b) of such section 707, as amended by subsection 
     (a)(2), the chairmen and ranking members of the congressional 
     veterans committees shall jointly designate 10 members of the 
     Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses 
     established pursuant to such subsection (b) who are serving 
     as members as of the date of the enactment of this Act to 
     continue to serve as members for periods determined pursuant 
     to paragraph (2) rather than for the term for which the 
     members were appointed before such date of enactment.
       (2) Period of service.--The chairmen and ranking members of 
     the congressional veterans committees shall jointly determine 
     the period of service of each member specified in paragraph 
     (1) in a manner that staggers the periods of such members in 
     periods of one, two, or three years beginning on the date of 
     the enactment of this Act. In determining such staggered 
     periods, the chairmen and ranking members shall take into 
     account the order of filling vacancies pursuant to subsection 
     (b)(5)(B) of such section 707, as amended by subsection 
     (a)(2). Any vacancies occurring of such members shall be 
     filled in accordance with such subsection.
       (3) New members.--Upon designating members under paragraph 
     (1), the chairmen of the congressional veterans committees 
     shall each appoint one additional member to the committee 
     from among individuals who have not served on the Research 
     Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses. Such 
     appointments shall be treated as the first and second 
     vacancies described in subclauses (I) and (II) of subsection 
     (b)(5)(B)(i) of such section 707, as amended by subsection 
     (a)(2), respectively.
       (4) Reappointment.--A member of the Committee specified in 
     paragraph (1) who has served more than three years may not be 
     reappointed after the period for the member specified in 
     paragraph (2) expires.

     SEC. 3. RESEARCH CASE DEFINITION OF GULF WAR ILLNESS.

       (a) Standard Definition.--Except as provided by subsection 
     (b), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that any 
     research conducted or funded by the Secretary on the chronic 
     multisymptom illness that afflicts approximately 25 percent 
     of Gulf War veterans--
       (1) refers to the illness as ``Gulf War Illness''; and
       (2) uses the research case definition of such illness that 
     is recommended from time to time by the Research Advisory 
     Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses established by 
     section 707 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (Public 
     Law 102-585; 38 U.S.C. 527 note).
       (b) Alternative Definition.--During any period in which the 
     Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses 
     has not recommended a research case definition for Gulf War 
     Illness, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that 
     any research on such illness conducted or funded by the 
     Secretary uses a research case definition that is consistent 
     with the definition of the term ``chronic multisymptom 
     illness in Persian Gulf War veterans'' provided by section 
     805(e) of the Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-
     275; 124 Stat. 2890).
       (c) Advice.--The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War 
     Veterans' Illnesses shall submit to the Secretary of Defense 
     advice regarding the best type of organization and process 
     for the Gulf War Illness Research Program of the 
     Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to use to 
     develop a research case definition of ``Gulf War Illness''.

     SEC. 4. STUDIES AND REPORTS ON GULF WAR ILLNESS.

       (a) Conduct of New Studies.--
       (1) Evaluation of animal studies.--In conducting or funding 
     any study relating to illnesses of Gulf War veterans on or 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall ensure that such study is conducted in 
     a manner such that animal studies are considered to the same 
     extent in all respects as human studies.
       (2) Sufficient evidence of association.--In conducting or 
     funding any study relating to illnesses of Gulf War veterans, 
     or other health matters of veterans, on or after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Institute of Medicine of the 
     National Academies shall ensure that such study is conducted 
     in a manner that defines ``sufficient evidence of an 
     association'' in the ``categories of association'' used in 
     the study as the following: ``Evidence is sufficient to 
     conclude that there is a positive association. That is, a 
     positive association has been observed between an exposure to 
     a specific agent and a health outcome in human or animal 
     studies in which chance, bias, and confounding could be ruled 
     out with reasonable confidence.''.
       (b) Sense of Congress on National Cohort Study.--It is the 
     sense of Congress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
     should conduct an additional follow-up study of a national 
     cohort of Gulf War and Gulf-War-Era veterans that includes 
     questions described in the ``Symptom Inventory Required to 
     Ascertain Case Status for Gulf War Multisymptom Illness, as 
     Defined by both the Fukuda and Kansas criteria'' published by 
     the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' 
     Illnesses on June 9, 2012, in appendix F of the document 
     titled ``Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' 
     Illnesses Findings and Recommendations''.
       (c) Sense of Congress on Study on Risk of Developing 
     Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, 
     Brain Cancers, and Other Conditions.--It is the sense of 
     Congress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should submit 
     to the congressional veterans committees each report required 
     by section 804 of the Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 
     2008 (Public Law 110-389; 122 Stat. 4187).
       (d) Sense of Congress on Previously Conducted Studies.--It 
     is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs should--
       (1) seek to enter into an agreement with the Institute of 
     Medicine of the National Academies to carry out the review 
     described in section 805 of the Veterans' Benefits Act of 
     2010 (Public Law 111-275; 124 Stat. 2890), regardless of any 
     previous review conducted under such section, in a manner 
     that ensures that the Institute of Medicine convenes to 
     conduct the review a group of medical professionals who are 
     experienced in treating individuals who served as members of 
     the Armed Forces in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations 
     of the Persian Gulf War during 1990 or 1991 and who have been 
     diagnosed with Gulf War illness, chronic multisymptom 
     illness, or another health condition related to chemical and 
     environmental exposure that may have occurred during such 
     service;
       (2) seek to enter into an agreement with the Institute of 
     Medicine to carry out the review described in section 1603 of 
     the Persian

[[Page 9100]]

     Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-277; 38 U.S.C. 
     1117 note), regardless of any previous review conducted under 
     such section, addressing the matters originally reviewed by 
     the Institute of Medicine in the reports titled ``Gulf War 
     and Health: Volume 1. Depleted Uranium, Sarin, Pyridostigmine 
     Bromide, and Vaccines'', ``Gulf War and Health: Volume 2. 
     Insecticides and Solvents'', and ``Gulf War and Health: 
     Volume 3. Fuels, Combustion Products, and Propellants''; and
       (3) not disseminate or use for research, clinical care, 
     benefits, or any other purpose the results of the report of 
     the Institute of Medicine titled ``Gulf War and Health 
     Report: Volume 9. Treatment for Chronic Multisymptom 
     Illness''.
       (e) Sense of Congress on Consultation.--It is the sense of 
     Congress that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should, prior 
     to entering into a contract or agreement with the Institute 
     of Medicine of the National Academies with respect to 
     research or studies on the health of Gulf War veterans, 
     obtain the advice of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf 
     War Veterans' Illnesses established by section 707 of the 
     Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-585; 38 
     U.S.C. 527 note) regarding the scope of work and the charge 
     to be given to the Institute of Medicine.
       (f) Sense of Congress on Inclusion of Certain Professionals 
     in Scientific or Medical Groups.--It is the sense of Congress 
     that, in any contract requiring the Institute of Medicine of 
     the National Academies to convene a committee to study the 
     health of Gulf War veterans, the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs should ensure that any such committee convened should 
     contain not less than three members of the Research Advisory 
     Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses established by 
     section 707 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 (Public 
     Law 102-585; 38 U.S.C. 527 note).
       (g) Sense of Congress on Notification of Undue Influence.--
     It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs should promptly notify the congressional veterans 
     committees of any employee or contractor of the Federal 
     Government whom the Secretary believes influenced, or 
     attempted to influence, the outcome of a report or study on 
     the health of Gulf War veterans conducted by the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs or the Institute of Medicine of the 
     National Academies if such influence was not related to a 
     scientifically objective outcome.

     SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) The term ``congressional veterans committees'' means 
     the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives and the Senate.
       (2) The term ``Gulf War'' means the Southwest Asia theater 
     of operations from August 2, 1990, to July 31, 1991.
       (3) The term ``Gulf War veteran'' means an individual who 
     served as a member of the Armed Forces in the Gulf War.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. 
Kirkpatrick) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             general leave

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members would have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H.R. 4261.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on Monday, we paused to remember those who have paid the 
ultimate sacrifice in defense of this great Nation, but it is also 
important to remember those who are still suffering as a result of 
their service.
  It has been estimated that as many as 250,000 veterans have some form 
of Gulf War illness. Despite millions of dollars in government funding 
and years of research, it is clear that more has got to be done to 
better understand this disease, so we can properly care for and 
compensate these veterans.
  The bill before us today reaffirms the essential role of the Research 
Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses and provides the 
committee with the independence that it needs, so that it can continue 
its vital work.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4261.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 4261, 
the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014, and I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the chairman of our 
committee, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman), for his 
sponsorship of this bill. It is such an important one, and I am a 
cosponsor on that.
  For many of the veterans of the gulf war who suffer from Gulf War 
illness, it has been a long, hard-fought battle, just to have this 
government recognize that their illness and serious physical conditions 
were caused by toxic exposures.
  Congress first created the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War 
Veterans' Illnesses because the research being done at the time was 
considered inadequate, partially due to a mistaken belief that it was a 
psychological condition.
  Through the research, we now know that Gulf War illness is a 
debilitating physical condition, not something that is all in your 
head, as many veterans were initially told.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4261 will ensure that the Gulf War illness research 
advisory committee conducts and reviews objective research to help our 
veterans who are suffering from Gulf War illnesses. This research is 
essential to finding treatments that improve veterans' health and 
quality of life.
  It is also important that causes of these illnesses be identified so 
that our veterans with illnesses connected to service during the gulf 
war can receive VA medical treatment and VA benefits, and it will also 
help our military, so that commanders can work to prevent and limit our 
troops' exposure to toxic chemicals in the future.

                              {time}  1800

  This bill will allow the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War 
Veterans' Illnesses to direct research and review research findings 
independent of the VA. It will restore the independent authority of the 
Research Advisory Committee by having the chairs and ranking members of 
the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees appoint nine members 
and allowing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to appoint three 
members.
  Additionally, the Advisory Committee will provide advice to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and to the House and Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committees on proposed research studies, research plans, or 
research strategies related to the health consequences of military 
service during the gulf war.
  Our gulf war veterans suffer from real illnesses. These illnesses 
require real treatments that can only be found through proper, 
objective, evidence-based research. This Research Advisory Committee 
has the potential to find these treatments with the right combination 
of researchers directing and reviewing research.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, there has been a gentleman who 
chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations who has been at 
the forefront of making sure that health care is provided in a timely 
fashion to our veterans, somebody who himself is a combat veteran. I 
yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman).
  Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, as a gulf war and Iraq war veteran, I am 
grateful for the leadership of the gentleman from Florida, Chairman 
Miller, on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and for his support 
of H.R. 4261.
  H.R. 4261, the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014, which I 
sponsored along with Ranking Member Kirkpatrick and full committee 
Ranking Member Michaud, restores the independence of the Research 
Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses to perform the role 
it has historically played, as intended by Congress, to improve the 
lives of ill gulf war veterans.
  This bill is necessary because some career VA staff have been trying 
to revive the discredited 1990s fiction that nothing special happened 
to gulf war veterans' health and that the problems experienced by gulf 
war veterans are just ``what happens after every war'' due to 
psychological stress factors.
  Because there is no scientific evidence for this position, VA 
staffers

[[Page 9101]]

have resorted to manipulating research studies and reports to try and 
revive this discredited theory. A major new VA gulf war veteran survey, 
for example, included the questions necessary to identify PTSD but not 
Gulf War illness.
  Most shockingly, VA has even manipulated new research of the 
Institute of Medicine by limiting the terms of its contracts. VA 
transformed the Institute of Medicine gulf war treatments study ordered 
by Congress into a report based largely on psychotherapies. The 
Research Advisory Committee objected strongly to these actions, which 
threatened to mislead treatment research just as science is finally 
turning the corner. VA retaliated by eliminating the independence of 
the committee, changing its charter to remove its authority to review 
the effectiveness of government research programs, and replacing the 
members serving on the committee. The effect of these changes can 
already be seen.
  The section of the new 2014 Research Advisory Committee report that 
detailed VA's manipulations of research had to be removed because the 
committee's authority to review the effectiveness of VA's research 
programs had been eliminated.
  The independent voice, so critical to honest research, will be all 
but replaced by September with those who seem to bend to VA's will.
  H.R. 4261 will restore the authority of the committee and provide 
that its membership, instead of being appointed entirely by VA, will 
consist of nine members appointed by the chairs and ranking members of 
the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, the Senate Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, and three members chosen by VA. This arrangement follows the 
longstanding model of the bipartisan Advisory Committee on Student 
Financial Assistance at the Department of Education.
  Current law provides that the Research Advisory Committee membership 
may include veterans, representatives of veterans, and the general 
public. While there are those who seek to limit veteran members to ill 
veterans, excluding most veterans service organization representatives 
and others, the Research Advisory Committee has been well-served by 
having both ill and other veterans serve on the committee.
  It is important to remember that the unwillingness of the VA to 
honestly address this illness is the reason Congress created the 
Research Advisory Committee in the first place. The 1997 congressional 
report that led to that legislation was entitled, ``Gulf War Veterans' 
Illnesses: VA, DOD Continue to Resist Strong Evidence Linking Toxic 
Causes to Chronic Health Effects.''
  Science has made great progress since then, thanks in no small 
measure to the work of the Research Advisory Committee, as well as to 
the effective Gulf War Illness Research Program that Congress created 
at the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. But this 
progress is all at risk if VA is able to again mislead science down 
blind alleys, directing scarce research dollars at the wrong target, as 
so often happened in the 1990s and 2000s.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. I yield the gentleman an additional 1\1/2\ 
minutes.
  Mr. COFFMAN. I thank the chairman.
  It is also important to ask why the VA has pursued this course. Last 
month, we learned the answer. On April 22, 2014, Military Times 
reported that the VA Under Secretary for Benefits, Allison Hickey, 
objected even to using the term ``Gulf War illness'' because it ``might 
imply a causal link between service in the gulf and poor health which 
could necessitate . . . disability compensation for veterans who served 
in the gulf.''
  Even if this policy was morally justifiable and saving money was the 
only goal, it is wrong. It will cost the Federal Government far less in 
the long run to face this problem honestly and pursue effective 
treatments, rather than to deny benefits and provide misleading 
research.
  We have strong support for this legislation from the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars, American Veterans, or AMVETS, and the Vietnam Veterans of 
America.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Without an independent 
Research Advisory Committee, the slow but steady progress toward 
identifying treatments for Gulf War illness will most surely end.
  Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to acknowledge 
the work of Mr. Jim Binns of Arizona, who has made countless trips back 
here advocating for this bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support it. We really need to do right by our 
gulf war veterans.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support 
H.R. 4261, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4261.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________