Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act

II Calendar No. 32 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1381 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 6, 2019 Received; read the first time MARCH 7, 2019 Read the second time and placed on the calendar AN ACT To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take actions necessary to ensure that certain individuals may update the burn pit registry with a registered individual’s cause of death, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Burn Pit Registry En- 4 hancement Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. BURN PIT REGISTRY UPDATES. 6 (a) INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO UPDATE.— 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1381.PCS H1381 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 HR 1381 PCS (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 1 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 2 retary of Veterans Affairs shall take actions nec- 3 essary to ensure that the burn pit registry may be 4 updated with the cause of death of a deceased reg- 5 istered individual by— 6 (A) an individual designated by such de- 7 ceased registered individual; or 8 (B) if no such individual is designated, an 9 immediate family member of such deceased reg- 10 istered individual. 11 (2) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary shall pro- 12 vide, with respect to the burn pit registry, a process 13 by which a registered individual may make a des- 14 ignation for purposes of paragraph (1)(A). 15 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 16 (1) The term ‘‘burn pit registry’’ means the 17 registry established under section 201 of the Dig- 18 nified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits Improve- 19 ment Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–260; 38 U.S.C. 20 527 note). 21 (2) The term ‘‘immediate family member’’, with 22 respect to a deceased individual, means— 23 (A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or 24 adult child of the individual; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1381.PCS H1381 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 HR 1381 PCS (B) an adult person to whom the indi- 1 vidual stands in loco parentis; or 2 (C) any other adult person— 3 (i) living in the household of the indi- 4 vidual at the time of the death of the indi- 5 vidual; and 6 (ii) related to the individual by blood 7 or marriage. 8 (3) The term ‘‘registered individual’’ means an 9 individual registered with the burn pit registry. 10 Passed the House of Representatives March 5, 2019. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1381.PCS H1381 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS Calendar No. 32 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1381 AN ACT To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to take actions necessary to ensure that certain individ- uals may update the burn pit registry with a reg- istered individual’s cause of death, and for other purposes. MARCH 7, 2019 Read the second time and placed on the calendar VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H1381.PCS H1381 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS