To require the Secretary of Defense to submit information to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to the exposure of members of the Armed Forces to airborne hazards and open burn pits.

SA 1677. Mr. UDALL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities
of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to
prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

SEC. 738. SUBMITTAL OF INFORMATION TO SECRETARY OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS RELATING TO EXPOSURE TO AIRBORNE
HAZARDS AND OPEN BURN PITS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and periodically thereafter, the
Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs such information in the possession of the
Secretary of Defense as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
considers necessary to supplement and support--
(1) the development of information to be included in the
Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry established by
the Department of Veterans Affairs 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); and
(2) research and development activities conducted by the
Department of Veterans Affairs to explore the potential
health risks of exposure by members of the Armed Forces to
environmental factors in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular
the connection of such exposure to respiratory illnesses such
as chronic cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
constrictive bronchiolitis, and pulmonary fibrosis.
(b) Inclusion of Certain Information.--The Secretary of
Defense shall include in the information submitted to the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs under subsection (a)
information on any research and surveillance efforts
conducted by the Department of Defense to evaluate the
incidence and prevalence of respiratory illnesses among
members of the Armed Forces who were exposed to open burn
pits while deployed overseas.
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