K2 Veterans Toxic Exposure Accountability Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 4429 To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study regarding toxic expo- sure by members of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, to include such members in the open burn pit registry, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES AUGUST 4, 2020 Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself, Ms. BALDWIN, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) intro- duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study regard- ing toxic exposure by members of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, to include such members in the open burn pit registry, 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 ‘‘K2 Veterans Toxic 4 Exposure Accountability Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4429.IS S4429 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 4429 IS SEC. 2. STUDY ON TOXIC EXPOSURE AT KARSHI KHANABAD 1 AIR BASE, UZBEKISTAN. 2 (a) STUDY.— 3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 4 shall conduct a study on toxic exposure by members 5 of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi Khanabad 6 Air Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during the period 7 beginning October 1, 2001, and ending December 8 31, 2005. 9 (2) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The study under 10 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 11 (A) An assessment regarding the condi- 12 tions of Karshi Khanabad Air Base, Uzbek- 13 istan, during the period beginning October 1, 14 2001, and ending December 31, 2005, includ- 15 ing an identification of toxic substances con- 16 taminating the Air Base during such period. 17 (B) An epidemiological study of the health 18 consequences of a member of the Armed Forces 19 deployed to the Air Base during such period. 20 (C) An assessment of any association be- 21 tween exposure to toxic substances identified 22 under subparagraph (A) and the health con- 23 sequences studied under subparagraph (B). 24 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 25 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4429.IS S4429 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 4429 IS shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Af- 1 fairs, submit to Congress a report containing— 2 (1) the study under subsection (a); and 3 (2) a description of— 4 (A) the benefits administered by the Sec- 5 retary of Veterans Affairs that a veteran may 6 be eligible to receive by reason of being exposed 7 to toxic substances at Karshi Khanabad Air 8 Base, Uzbekistan, while serving in the Armed 9 Forces; and 10 (B) the outreach conducted by the Sec- 11 retary to inform such veterans of such benefits. 12 SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF UZBEKISTAN IN CERTAIN REG- 13 ISTRIES AND PROGRAMS. 14 (a) OPEN BURN PIT REGISTRY.—Section 201(c)(2) 15 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits Im- 16 provement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–260; 38 U.S.C. 17 527 note) is amended by striking ‘‘Afghanistan or Iraq’’ 18 and inserting ‘‘Afghanistan, Iraq, or Uzbekistan’’. 19 (b) DEPLETED URANIUM FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMS.— 20 The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 21 Affairs shall ensure that any individual who deployed as 22 a member of the Armed Forces to Karshi Khanabad Air 23 Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during the period beginning 24 October 1, 2001, and ending December 31, 2005, is cov- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4429.IS S4429 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 4429 IS ered by the Depleted Uranium Follow-Up Programs of the 1 Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans 2 Affairs. 3 SEC. 4. ACCESS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF 4 SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE TO 5 INFORMATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF 6 DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VET- 7 ERANS AFFAIRS. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by the National 9 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (in this 10 section referred to as the ‘‘Academies’’), the Secretary of 11 Defense shall provide to the Academies such information 12 in the possession of the Department of Defense and the 13 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide to the Acad- 14 emies such information in the possession of the Depart- 15 ment of Veterans Affairs as the Academies determine use- 16 ful in performing a covered study. Such information in- 17 cludes, at a minimum, all environmental sampling data 18 relative to any location included in the study. 19 (b) COVERED STUDY DEFINED.—In this section, the 20 term ‘‘covered study’’ includes— 21 (1) the study conducted under section 2; and 22 (2) any subsequent study or any study con- 23 ducted by the Academies regarding the effects of ex- 24 posure of humans to toxic substances at Karshi 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4429.IS S4429 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 4429 IS Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during 1 the period beginning October 1, 2001, and ending 2 December 31, 2005. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S4429.IS S4429 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS