S.Amdt. 960

SA 960. Mr. SCHUMER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him 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 G of title X, add the following:

SEC. 1088. RESEARCH ON CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIETNAM
ERA EXPOSURES AND BILE DUCT CANCER.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense, in coordination
with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall seek to enter
into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine under which the National Academies
conduct epidemiological research to determine whether there
is a causal relationship between exposure described in
subsection (b) and bile duct cancer.
(b) Exposure Described.--Exposure described in this
subsection is exposure to--
(1) the range of phenoxy herbicides known to be present in
Vietnam and the greater Southeast Asia region (Agent Blue,
Orange, Pink, or White); or
(2) liver fluke.
(c) Recommendations.--
(1) In general.--If research conducted under subsection (a)
indicates that there is at least suggestive evidence of
causality between an exposure described in subsection (b) and
bile duct cancer, the National Academies shall recommend to
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, not later than 60 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, that a
presumption of service-connection be established for bile
duct cancer for purposes of health care and other benefits
furnished to Vietnam era veterans under the laws administered
by the Secretary.
(2) Transmittal to congress.--Not later than 30 days after
receiving recommendations under paragraph (1), the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs shall transmit those recommendations to
Congress.
(d) Vietnam Era Defined.--In this section, the term
``Vietnam era'' has the meaning given that term in section
101 of title 38, United States Code.
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