Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 (H.R. 4261; 113th Congress)
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The Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 () is a bill that would have altered the relationship between the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (RAC) and the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...
(VA), the federal agency under which the RAC is constituted. The bill would have made the RAC an independent organization within the VA, required that a majority of the RAC's members be appointed by Congress instead of the VA, and authorized the RAC to release its reports without needing prior approval from the VA Secretary. The RAC is responsible for investigating Gulf War Illness (formerly known as
Gulf War syndrome Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness is a chronic and multi-symptomatic disorder affecting military veterans of both sides of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue ...
), a chronic multi-symptom disorder affecting returning military
veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...
of the 1990-91 Gulf War. The bill was introduced into the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
during the
113th United States Congress The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the ...
. It passed the House unanimously but died in Congress when the Senate failed to take further action on it.


Background

Gulf War Illness (GWI), formerly known as
Gulf War Syndrome Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness is a chronic and multi-symptomatic disorder affecting military veterans of both sides of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue ...
, is a chronic multi-symptom disorder affecting returning military
veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...
of the 1990-91 Gulf War. A wide range of
acute Acute may refer to: Science and technology * Acute angle ** Acute triangle ** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology * Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset. ** Acute toxicity, the adverse eff ...
and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue,
muscle pain Myalgia (also called muscle pain and muscle ache in layman's terms) is the medical term for muscle pain. Myalgia is a symptom of many diseases. The most common cause of acute myalgia is the overuse of a muscle or group of muscles; another like ...
, cognitive problems,
rash A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, c ...
es and
diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...
. Approximately 250,000 of the 697,000 U.S. veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War are afflicted with enduring chronic multi-symptom illness, a condition with serious consequences. From 1995 to 2005, the health of combat veterans worsened in comparison with nondeployed veterans, with the onset of more new chronic diseases, functional impairment, repeated clinic visits and hospitalizations, chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness, posttraumatic stress disorder, and greater persistence of adverse health incidents. According to a report by the
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) veterans organization founded by Paul Rieckhoff, an American writer, social entrepreneur, advocate, activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He ser ...
, veterans of
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
may also suffer from the syndrome. Some of the early potential causes considered were depleted uranium, sarin gas, smoke from burning oil wells,
vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
s, combat stress and psychological factors. The RAC concluded in 2014 and had published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal
Cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...
that, "exposure to pesticides and/or to PB yridostigmine bromide nerve agent protective pillsare causally associated with GWI and the neurological dysfunction in GW veterans. Exposure to sarin and
cyclosarin Cyclosarin or GF (cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance used as a chemical weapon. It is a member of the '' G-series'' family of nerve agents, a group of chemical weapons discovered and synthesized by a German te ...
and to
oil well fire Oil well fires are oil or gas wells that have caught on fire and burn. They can be the result of accidents, arson, or natural events, such as lightning. They can exist on a small scale, such as an oil field spill catching fire, or on a huge sca ...
emissions are also associated with neurologically based health effects, though their contribution to development of the disorder known as GWI is less clear. Gene-environment interactions are likely to have contributed to development of GWI in deployed veterans. The health consequences of chemical exposures in the GW and other conflicts have been called “toxic wounds” by veterans. This type of injury requires further study and concentrated treatment research efforts that may also benefit other occupational groups with similar exposure-related illnesses." In the year prior to the consideration of this bill, the VA and the RAC were at odds with one another. The VA replaced all but one of the members of the RAC, removed some of their supervisory tasks, tried to influence the RAC to decide that stress, rather than biology was the cause of Gulf War Illness, and told the RAC that it could not publish reports without VA permission. The RAC was created after Congress decided that the VA's research into the issue was flawed, and focused on psychological causes, while mostly ignoring biological ones. The RAC was first authorized under the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998 (Section 104 of Public Law 105-368, enacted November 11, 1998, and now codified as 38 U.S.C. §527 note). While the law directing its creation mandated that it be established not later than January 1, 1999, the VA's significant delays resulted in the RAC's first charter not being issued until January 23, 2002, by VA Secretary
Anthony Principi Anthony Joseph Principi (born April 16, 1944) is the former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001, and resigned on January 26, 2005. He Chaired the 2005 Defense Base Closur ...
. The RAC convened for its first meetings on April 11-12, 2002, more than three years after the date for its establishment mandated in law.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "Pre 2014 Archived Meetings and Minutes, Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses". Retrieved August 15, 2019. Cite web requires , website= (help)


Provisions of the bill

The bill would make the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses (RAC) an independent committee within the VA. The bill would require the majority of RAC members be appointed by the chairmen and ranking members of the
United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs The standing committee, standing Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies, reviews current legislation, and recommends new Act of Congress, bills or amendments concerning U.S. military veteran ...
and the
United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs The United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs deals with oversight of United States veterans problems and issues. Description The committee was created in 1970 to transfer responsibilities for veterans from the Finance and Labor commi ...
. Three of the members would be required to be veterans, while a minimum of eight members "must be scientists of physicians, with expertise in areas like epidemiology, immunology, neurology and toxicology." The bill would also mandate that the condition be called "Gulf War Illness" instead of "Gulf War Syndrome." The bill also requests that the VA look at animal studies when investigating toxic exposure. The bill states that "reports, recommendations, publications, and other documents of the (RAC) committee shall not be subject to review or approval by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs."


Procedural history

H.R. 4261, the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 was introduced into the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
on March 14, 2014 by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO-6). The bill was referred to the
United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs The standing committee, standing Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the United States House of Representatives oversees agencies, reviews current legislation, and recommends new Act of Congress, bills or amendments concerning U.S. military veteran ...
that same day, where it was then referred on March 24 to two subcommittees, the
United States House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health The United States Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health is one of the four subcommittees within the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. The Subcommittee on Health has legislative and oversight jurisdiction for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ ...
and the United States House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on the bill on March 25, 2014. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL-01), then Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, brought the bill to the House floor on May 28, 2014 for consideration under suspension of the rules, where it unanimously passed the House by voice vote. The bill was then received by the Senate, where it was referred to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. The Senate took no formal action on the bill, leaving it to die at the conclusion of the 113th Congress. It was not subsequently reintroduced.


Debate and discussion

According to Rep. Coffman, who sponsored the bill, the legislation is the result of an investigation by the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations which determined that the VA was "exercising too much control over the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses (RAC)" and was "denying their ability to effectively and independently carry out its Congressionally mandated role to improve the lives of Gulf War Veterans." The investigation found the misappropriation of funds, the placement of biased members in the RAC, and restrictions on RAC reports to keep them from circulating. Rep.
Ann Kirkpatrick Ann Leila Kirkpatrick (born March 24, 1950) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the United States representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2013 to ...
, who supported the bill, said that it was our job to ensure "the VA conducts objective research on chronic illnesses experienced by Gulf War veterans, in an effort to find treatments that can make a difference in their quality of life."


See also

*
List of bills in the 113th United States Congress The bills of the 113th United States Congress list includes proposed federal laws that were introduced in the 113th United States Congress. This Congress lasted from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015. The United States Congress is the bicamer ...


References


External links


Library of Congress - Thomas H.R. 4261beta.congress.gov H.R. 4261GovTrack.us H.R. 4261OpenCongress.org H.R. 4261
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 (H.R. 4261 113th Congress) Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress United States Department of Veterans Affairs Gulf War syndrome