S.Amdt. 1011

SA 1011. Mr. HATCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 1003 proposed by Mr. McCain (for himself and Mr. Reed) to
the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
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. 737. REPORT ON HEARING LOSS, TINNITUS, AND NOISE
POLLUTION DUE TO SMALL ARMS FIRE.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
hearing loss, tinnitus, and noise pollution due to small arms
fire has a detrimental impact on the readiness and budget of
the Department of Defense.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and
the House of Representatives (and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives upon the
request of either committee) and the President pro tempore of
the Senate, a report on hearing loss, tinnitus, and noise
pollution due to small arms fire.
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A verification and validation of the results included
in published findings on hearing loss and tinnitus due to
small arms fire (including the ``Clinical Study Design of
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Marine Recruits'' published by
E.A. Williams (nee Edelstein)).
(B) A description of the impact on the Department of
Defense of noise pollution and noise ordinance requirements,
as set forth under title IV of the Clean Air Act (relating to
noise pollution) (42 U.S.C. 7641 et seq.), for small arms
fire (including the impact on training ranges, training
schedules, operational readiness, and mission parameters).
(C) Data on the severity and rates of noise-induced hearing
loss and tinnitus experienced by personnel of the Department
due to small arms fire in training and operational
environments, including costs currently incurred by the
health care systems of the Department of Defense and the
Department of Veterans Affairs to treat noise-induced hearing
loss and tinnitus.
(D) A description of alternative methods and strategies
currently being employed by the Department of Defense, as
well as alternative methods, technologies, and techniques
being considered, for the mitigation of hearing loss,
tinnitus, and noise pollution due to small arms fire.
(E) A description of current mitigation strategies
available to reduce hearing loss,

[[Page S5677]]

tinnitus, and noise pollution as a whole and not as separate
issues.
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