I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1661 

To establish a health registry to ensure that certain individuals who may 

have been exposed to formaldehyde in a travel trailer have an opportunity 

to register for such registry and receive medical treatment for such 

exposure, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 23, 2009 

Mr. BARROW introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To establish a health registry to ensure that certain individuals who may have been exposed to formaldehyde in 

a travel trailer have an opportunity to register for such 

registry and receive medical treatment for such exposure, 

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 ‘‘Travel Trailer Resi5 dents’ Health Registry Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGISTRY. 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in con4 sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv5 ices, shall— 

6 (1) establish and maintain a health registry for 

7 eligible individuals who may have been exposed to 

8 formaldehyde in a travel trailer; 

9 (2) include any information in such registry 

10 that the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

11 determines necessary to ascertain and monitor the 

12 health effects of the exposure to formaldehyde in a 

13 travel trailer by eligible individuals; 

14 (3) develop a public information campaign to 

15 inform eligible individuals about the health registry, 

16 including how and where to register and the benefits 

17 of registering; and 

18 (4) periodically notify eligible individuals of sig19 nificant developments in the study and treatment of 

20 conditions associated with exposure to formaldehyde. 

21 SEC. 3. TREATMENT AND STUDY OF HEALTH EFFECTS. 

22 (a) EXAMINATION OF ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

24 Security shall enter into an agreement with the Sec25 retary of Health and Human Services to provide ini26 tial and ongoing health examinations, consultations, 


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1 and mental health counseling free of charge to each 

2 eligible individual for the purposes of— 

3 (A) assisting eligible individuals with any 

4 health effects associated with exposure to form5 aldehyde in a travel trailer; 

6 (B) ascertaining and monitoring the health 

7 effects on each eligible individual of exposure to 

8 formaldehyde in such a trailer; and 

9 (C) completing the epidemiological study 

10 required under subsection (b). 

11 (2) INFORMATION FEEDBACK.—Such health 

12 consultation and mental health counseling described 

13 in paragraph (1) shall provide to each eligible indi14 vidual information regarding the examination results 

15 for such individual, as well as any available informa16 tion concerning ongoing developments in the study 

17 and treatment of conditions associated with exposure 

18 to formaldehyde. 

19 (b) EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY.—Not later than 90 

20 days after the establishment of the health registry under 

21 section 2, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

22 shall commence an epidemiological study of the immediate 

23 and long-term effects of exposure to formaldehyde in a 

24 travel trailer sufficient to further understand the imme25 diate and long-term medical needs of eligible individuals. 


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1 SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

2 (a) REPORT BY INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC ORGANI3 ZATION.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services 

4 shall enter into an agreement with an independent sci5 entific organization to submit a report to Congress, not 

6 later than 18 months after the establishment of the reg7 istry, containing the following: 

8 (1) EFFECTIVENESS OF SECRETARIES.—An as9 sessment of the effectiveness of actions taken by the 

10 Secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security 

11 and the Department of Health and Human Services 

12 to collect and maintain information on the health 

13 consequences of exposure to formaldehyde in a travel 

14 trailer. 

15 (2) COLLECTION AND MAINTENANCE.—Rec16 ommendations to improve the collection and mainte17 nance of such information. 

18 (3) MEDICAL NEEDS.—Using the ongoing epi19 demiological study under section 3(b), recommenda20 tions regarding the most effective and prudent 

21 means of addressing the medical needs of eligible in22 dividuals, as such needs relate to conditions likely to 

23 result from exposure to formaldehyde in a travel 

24 trailer. 


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1 SEC. 5. FUNDING. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

3 as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 

4 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

5 (a) TRAVEL TRAILERS.—For the purposes of this 

6 Act, the term ‘‘travel trailer’’ means any temporary hous7 ing unit provided by the Federal Government to individ8 uals displaced by a major disaster that occurred or occurs 

9 between August 29, 2005, and December 31, 2009. 

10 (b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—For the purposes of 

11 this Act, the term ‘‘eligible individual’’ means any indi12 vidual who— 

13 (1) lawfully resided in a travel trailer; and 

14 (2) applied or applies for inclusion on the 

15 health registry established pursuant to this Act. 

Æ 


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