National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 -- (House of Representatives - May 25, 2005)

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AMENDMENT NO. 14 OFFERED BY MR. BISHOP OF GEORGIA

The text of the amendment is as follows:

At the end of title VII (page 297, after line 26), add the following new section:

SEC. 718. STUDY RELATING TO PREDEPLOYMENT AND POSTDEPLOYMENT MEDICAL EXAMS OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study of the effectiveness of self-administered surveys included in predeploy-Ðment and postdeployment medical exams of members of the Armed Forces that are carried out as part of the medical tracking system required under section 1074f of title 10, United States Code.

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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

I rise today in support of the en bloc amendment to H.R. 1815 and in support of my ``Healthy Troops'' amendment contained therein.

Mr. Chairman, I first introduced the Healthy Troops Act when it was brought to my attention that many of our men and women serving in harm's way are not receiving hands-on medical examinations before or after they are deployed in combat. A 1997 congressional mandate requires both pre- and post-deployment medical exams, but this requirement is currently being met by the DOD by having our troops fill out self-administered questionnaires.

This concerns me, as I believe it should concern all Americans, first, because the health of our servicemembers should not rely on their ability to self-diagnose; and secondly, because these brave men and women deserve an accurate documentation of their health status in combat so that, if necessary, they can claim veterans' health benefits when they come home.

My original amendment required that DOD provide full hands-on and pre- and post-deployment exams for all deployed troops as opposed to the self-administered questionnaires. It also mandated a study of the effectiveness of the self-administered exams.

The revised amendment, which reflects a bipartisan compromise struck with the chairman and the committee, provides only for the study into the effectiveness of the questionnaires and that the study be performed within 120 days of enactment.

I do not believe that this is enough, but it does represent a victory for our servicemembers, men and women because, one, it continues an important, ongoing dialogue on the health and safety of our servicemen and -women, and two, because it requires further analysis of the effectiveness of the actual hands-on health screens.

I think that we can all agree that the health of servicemembers must be at the top of our agenda. This amendment puts the focus where it belongs.

I urge my colleagues to support the en bloc amendment.

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