I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8149 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out an initiative to 

identify and validate brain and mental health biomarkers among veterans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 

Mr. LAMB (for himself and Mr. BOST) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out 

an initiative to identify and validate brain and mental 

health biomarkers among veterans. 

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 ‘‘VA Precision Medicine 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PRECISION MEDICINE INITIATIVE OF DEPARTMENT 

2 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO IDENTIFY AND 

3 VALIDATE BRAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH BIO4 MARKERS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than two 

6 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec7 retary of Veterans Affairs shall develop and implement an 

8 initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify 

9 and validate brain and mental health biomarkers among 

10 veterans, with specific consideration for depression, anx11 iety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, trau12 matic brain injury, and such other mental health condi13 tions as the Secretary considers appropriate. Such initia14 tive may be referred to as the ‘‘Precision Medicine for Vet15 erans Initiative’’. 

16 (b) MODEL OF INITIATIVE.—The initiative under 

17 subsection (a) shall be modeled on the All of Us Precision 

18 Medicine Initiative administered by the National Insti19 tutes of Health with respect to large-scale collection of 

20 standardized data and open data sharing. 

21 (c) USE OF DATA.— 

22 (1) PRIVACY AND SECURITY.—In carrying out 

23 the initiative under subsection (a), the Secretary 

24 shall develop robust data privacy and security meas25 ures to ensure that information of veterans partici26 pating in the initiative is kept private and secure. 


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1 (2) OPEN PLATFORM.— 

2 (A) RESEARCH PURPOSES.— 

3 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

4 make de-identified data collected under the 

5 initiative available for research purposes 

6 both within and outside of the Department 

7 of Veterans Affairs. 

8 (ii) RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall 

9 assist the National Institutes of Health 

10 and the Department of Energy in the use 

11 by the National Institutes of Health or the 

12 Department of Energy of data collected 

13 under the initiative for research purposes 

14 under clause (i). 

15 (B) DATA MAY NOT BE SOLD.—Data col16 lected under the initiative may not be sold. 

17 (3) STANDARDIZATION.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall en19 sure that data collected under the initiative is 

20 standardized. 

21 (B) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall 

22 consult with the National Institutes of Health 

23 and the Food and Drug Administration to de24 termine the most effective, efficient, and costVerDate Sep 11 2014 17:03 Sep 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8149.IH H8149

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1 effective way of standardizing data collected 

2 under the initiative. 

3 (C) MANNER OF STANDARDIZATION.— 

4 Data collected under the initiative shall be 

5 standardized in the manner in which it is col6 lected, entered into the database, extracted, and 

7 recorded. 

8 (4) MEASURES OF BRAIN FUNCTION OR STRUC9 TURE.—Any measures of brain function or structure 

10 collected under the initiative shall be collected with 

11 a device that is approved by the Food and Drug Ad12 ministration. 

13 (d) INCLUSION OF INITIATIVE IN PROGRAM.—The 

14 Secretary shall assess the feasibility and advisability of co15 ordinating efforts of the initiative under subsection (a) 

16 with the Million Veterans Program of the Department, 

17 while seeking a population-based sample. 

Æ 


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