S.Amdt. 1756

SA 1756. Ms. WARREN (for herself and Mr. Merkley) 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 B of title VII, add the following:

SEC. 721. PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF PROBLEM GAMBLING
BEHAVIOR AMONG MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND
VETERANS.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Gambling addiction, or problem gambling, is a public
health disorder characterized by increasing preoccupation
with gambling, loss of control, restlessness, or irritability
when attempting to stop gambling, and continuation of the
gambling behavior in spite of mounting serious, negative
consequences.
(2) Over 6,000,000 adults met criteria for a gambling
problem in 2013.
(3) According to the National Council on Problem Gambling,
it is estimated that between 36,000 and 48,000 members of the
Armed Forces on active duty meet criteria for a gambling
problem.
(4) The Department of Defense operates an estimated 3,000
slot machines at military installations overseas that are
available to members of the Armed Forces and their families.
(5) It is estimated that these slot machines generate more
than $100,000,000 in revenue for the Department of Defense,
which is used for further recreational activities for members
of the Armed Forces.
(6) The United States Army operates bingo games on military
installations in the United States, which generate millions
of dollars per year.
(7) The Department of Defense does not currently have
treatment programs for members of the Armed Forces with
problem gambling behaviors, although it does operate
treatment programs for alcohol abuse, illegal substance
abuse, and tobacco addiction.
(8) The Department of Veterans Affairs provides behavioral
addiction treatment to veterans but has limited programs
directed at problem gambling.
(9) Individuals with problem gambling behavior have higher
incidences of bankruptcy, domestic abuse, and suicide.
(10) People who engage in problem gambling have high rates
of co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
(11) Because many veterans are often at high risk for co-
occuring substance abuse and mental health disorders, it is
critical that they receive adequate treatment for such
disorders.
(12) The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (Fifth Edition, published in May 2013) includes
problem gambling as a behavioral addiction. This reflects
research findings that gambling disorders are similar to
substance-related disorders in clinical expression, brain
origin, comorbidity, physiology, and treatment.
(b) Policies and Programs to Prevent and Treat Gambling
Problems.--
(1) Department of defense.--The Secretary of Defense shall
develop policies on prevention, education, and treatment of
problem gambling, including the following elements:
(A) Prevention programs for members of the Armed Forces and
their dependents.
(B) Responsible gaming education for members of the Armed
Forces and their dependents.
(C) Establishment of a center of excellence for the
residential treatment of the most severe cases of problem
gambling among members of the Armed Forces.
(D) Policy and programs to integrate problem gambling into
existing mental health and substance abuse programs of the
Department of Defense in order to--
(i) prevent problem gambling among members of the Armed
Forces and their families;
(ii) provide responsible gaming educational materials to
members of the Armed Forces and their family members who
gamble; and
(iii) train existing substance abuse and mental health
counselors to provide treatment for problem gambling within
current mental health and substance abuse treatment programs
for members of the Armed Forces.
(E) Assessment of gambling problems among members of the
Armed Forces, factors related to the development of such
problems (including co-occurring disorders such as substance
use, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury,
stress, and sensation seeking), and the social, health, and
financial impacts of gambling on members of the Armed Forces
by incorporating questions on problem gambling behavior into
ongoing research efforts as appropriate, including restoring
such questions into the Survey of Health Related Behaviors
Among Active Duty Military Personnel conducted by the
Department of Defense.
(2) Department of veterans affairs.--The Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall develop policies on prevention,
education, and treatment of problem gambling, including the
following elements:
(A) Prevention programs for veterans and their dependents.
(B) Responsible gaming education for veterans and their
dependents.
(C) Establishment of a center of excellence for the
residential treatment of the most severe cases of problem
gambling among veterans.
(D) Policy and programs to integrate problem gambling into
existing mental health and substance abuse programs of the
Department of Veterans Affairs in order to--
(i) prevent problem gambling among veterans and their
families;
(ii) provide responsible gaming educational materials to
veterans and their family members who gamble; and
(iii) train existing substance abuse and mental health
counselors to provide treatment for problem gambling within
current mental health and substance abuse treatment programs
for veterans.
(E) Financial counseling and related services for veterans
impacted by problem gambling.
(3) Consultation.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop
the policies described in paragraph (1) and the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall develop the policies described in
paragraph (2) in coordination with the Interagency Task Force
on Military and Veterans Mental Health.
(4) Reports.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act--
(A) the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report on efforts
undertaken pursuant to paragraph (1); and
(B) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report on efforts
undertaken pursuant to paragraph (2).
(c) Use of Certain Amounts by Department of Defense.--Of
the aggregate amount collected each fiscal year by morale,
welfare, and recreation (MWR) facilities of the Department of
Defense from the operation of slot machines and bingo games,
an amount equal to one percent of such amount shall be
available to the Secretary of Defense carry out the policy
and programs described in subsection (b)(1)(D).
(d) Comptroller General Study on Gambling and Problem
Gambling Among Members of the Armed Forces and Veterans.--
(1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study on problem gambling among
members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
(2) Matters included.--The study conducted under paragraph
(1) shall include the following:
(A) With respect to gambling installations (including
bingo) operated by each branch of the Armed Forces--
(i) the number, type, and location of such gambling
installations;
(ii) the total amount of cash flow through such gambling
installations;
(iii) the amount of revenue generated by such gambling
installations; and
(iv) how such revenue is spent.
(B) An assessment of the prevalence of problem gambling
among members of the Armed Forces and veterans, including
recommendations for policies and programs to be carried out
by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans
Affairs to address problem gambling.
(3) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit
to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the
results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
(e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives.
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