S.Amdt. 334

SA 334. Mr. TILLIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2024 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. 1083. INFORMATION REGARDING CLAIMS RELATING TO WATER AT
CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (28 U.S.C. 2671 note
prec.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(k) Acknowledgments.--
``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term
`administrative claim' means an administrative action
relating to an action under subsection (b) (as described in
section 2675 of title 28, United States Code).
``(2) Claims assistance.--An individual, the legal
representative of an individual, or (if applicable) the
attorney for the individual or legal representative bringing
an administrative claim shall file with the Secretary of the
Navy a written acknowledgment signed by the individual, legal
representative, or attorney indicating that the individual or
legal representative understands--
``(A) the alternative sources of assistance with respect to
claims under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs available, free of charge, from organizations
recognized under section 5902 of title 38, United States
Code;
``(B) that the individual or legal representative may seek
claims assistance from the congressional representatives of
the individual or legal representative; and
``(C) that the individual or legal representative may seek
claims assistance from the Tort Claims Unit of the Department
of the Navy.
``(3) Other required acknowledgments.--An attorney
representing an individual or the legal representative of an
individual in an administrative claim shall file with the
Secretary of the Navy a written acknowledgment signed by the
individual or legal representative indicating that the
individual or legal representative understands--
``(A) that the individual or legal representative is not
required to be represented by an attorney to file an
administrative claim; and
``(B) the attorney's fee arrangement regarding
representation in the administrative claim, which shall
include an acknowledgment of whether the fee arrangement is
one under which the total amount of the fee payable to the
attorney is--
``(i) to be paid to the attorney by the claimant,
subsequent to the allocation of the award; or
``(ii) contingent on whether the matter is resolved in a
manner favorable to the claimant.
``(4) Application to pending matters.--For any
administrative claim that is pending on the date of enactment
of this subsection, not later than 90 days after such date of
enactment, the individual bringing the administrative claim,
the legal representative of the individual, or the attorney
for the individual or legal representative, as applicable,
shall file the acknowledgments described in paragraphs (2)
and (3).''.
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