Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2433) 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.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2433

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 ``Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act''. SEC. 2. BURN PIT REGISTRY UPDATES.

(a) Individuals Eligible to Update.--

(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall take actions necessary to ensure that the burn pit registry may be updated with the cause of death of a deceased registered individual by--

(A) an individual designated by such deceased registered individual; or

(B) if no such individual is designated, an immediate family member of such deceased registered individual.

(2) Designation.--The Secretary shall provide, with respect to the burn pit registry, a process by which a registered individual may make a designation for purposes of paragraph (1)(A).

(b) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) The term ``burn pit registry'' means the registry established under section 201 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note).

(2) The term ``immediate family member'', with respect to a deceased individual, means--

(A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or adult child of the individual;

(B) an adult person to whom the individual stands in loco parentis; or

(C) any other adult person--

(i) living in the household of the individual at the time of the death of the individual; and

(ii) related to the individual by blood or marriage.

(3) The term ``registered individual'' means an individual registered with the burn pit registry.

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Mr. TAKANO. 2433.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the passage of Representative Ruiz's Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act.

As the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and our Senate counterparts close in on providing much-needed, comprehensive assistance to veterans exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards, this measure from Dr. Ruiz is an important step in the right direction.

As VA continues to study the effects that burn pit and other airborne hazard exposures have on our veterans, the collection of data is critical. Without data, important patterns are not identified, and decisive conclusions cannot be made.

This bill ensures that VA researchers and their partners will have more information to evaluate as they strive toward final determinations on issues and additional presumptive service-connected conditions.

VA's burn pit registry is for veterans and servicemembers who may have been exposed to airborne hazards caused by open burn pits while deployed in support of Operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield, New Dawn, Iraqi Freedom, or Enduring Freedom. Through this registry, veterans may report on their symptoms or illnesses, providing researchers with invaluable information used to determine potential links between veterans' exposures and their current health conditions.

The Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act will strengthen this registry by authorizing a designee of a registered veteran or an immediate family member to update the registry with the veteran's cause of death.

While this additional information can no longer assist those who sadly pass away as a potential consequence of burn pit exposure, their cause of death data may someday assist their fellow veterans. This will be an honorable and incredibly valuable last act of service.

So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the passage of the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act, H.R. 2433, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2433, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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