II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4429 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study regarding toxic exposure by members of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi Khanabad 

Air Base, Uzbekistan, to include such members in the open burn pit 

registry, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 4, 2020 

Mrs. BLACKBURN (for herself, Ms. BALDWIN, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study regarding toxic exposure by members of the Armed Forces 

deployed to Karshi Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, to 

include such members in the open burn pit registry, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘K2 Veterans Toxic 

5 Exposure Accountability Act of 2020’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 4429 IS

1 SEC. 2. STUDY ON TOXIC EXPOSURE AT KARSHI KHANABAD 

2 AIR BASE, UZBEKISTAN. 

3 (a) STUDY.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 

5 shall conduct a study on toxic exposure by members 

6 of the Armed Forces deployed to Karshi Khanabad 

7 Air Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during the period 

8 beginning October 1, 2001, and ending December 

9 31, 2005. 

10 (2) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The study under 

11 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

12 (A) An assessment regarding the condi13 tions of Karshi Khanabad Air Base, Uzbek14 istan, during the period beginning October 1, 

15 2001, and ending December 31, 2005, includ16 ing an identification of toxic substances con17 taminating the Air Base during such period. 

18 (B) An epidemiological study of the health 

19 consequences of a member of the Armed Forces 

20 deployed to the Air Base during such period. 

21 (C) An assessment of any association be22 tween exposure to toxic substances identified 

23 under subparagraph (A) and the health con24 sequences studied under subparagraph (B). 

25 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

26 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 4429 IS

1 shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Af2 fairs, submit to Congress a report containing— 

3 (1) the study under subsection (a); and 

4 (2) a description of— 

5 (A) the benefits administered by the Sec6 retary of Veterans Affairs that a veteran may 

7 be eligible to receive by reason of being exposed 

8 to toxic substances at Karshi Khanabad Air 

9 Base, Uzbekistan, while serving in the Armed 

10 Forces; and 

11 (B) the outreach conducted by the Sec12 retary to inform such veterans of such benefits. 

13 SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF UZBEKISTAN IN CERTAIN REG14 ISTRIES AND PROGRAMS. 

15 (a) OPEN BURN PIT REGISTRY.—Section 201(c)(2) 

16 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits Im17 provement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–260; 38 U.S.C. 

18 527 note) is amended by striking ‘‘Afghanistan or Iraq’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘Afghanistan, Iraq, or Uzbekistan’’. 

20 (b) DEPLETED URANIUM FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMS.— 

21 The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 

22 Affairs shall ensure that any individual who deployed as 

23 a member of the Armed Forces to Karshi Khanabad Air 

24 Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during the period beginning 

25 October 1, 2001, and ending December 31, 2005, is covVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4429.IS S4429

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 4429 IS

1 ered by the Depleted Uranium Follow-Up Programs of the 

2 Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans 

3 Affairs. 

4 SEC. 4. ACCESS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF 

5 SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE TO 

6 INFORMATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF 

7 DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VET8 ERANS AFFAIRS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon request by the National 

10 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (in this 

11 section referred to as the ‘‘Academies’’), the Secretary of 

12 Defense shall provide to the Academies such information 

13 in the possession of the Department of Defense and the 

14 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide to the Acad15 emies such information in the possession of the Depart16 ment of Veterans Affairs as the Academies determine use17 ful in performing a covered study. Such information in18 cludes, at a minimum, all environmental sampling data 

19 relative to any location included in the study. 

20 (b) COVERED STUDY DEFINED.—In this section, the 

21 term ‘‘covered study’’ includes— 

22 (1) the study conducted under section 2; and 

23 (2) any subsequent study or any study con24 ducted by the Academies regarding the effects of ex25 posure of humans to toxic substances at Karshi 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 4429 IS

1 Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, at any time during 

2 the period beginning October 1, 2001, and ending 

3 December 31, 2005. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS