IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 45 

Expressing the sense of Congress that those who served in the bays, harbors, 

and territorial seas of the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, should be 

presumed to have served in the Republic of Vietnam for all purposes 

under the Agent Orange Act of 1991. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 4, 2017 

Ms. STEFANIK (for herself, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. ROSS, Mr. JONES, Mr. YOHO, 

Miss RICE of New York, Mr. LANCE, Mr. WALZ, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. 

DELAURO, Mr. HIMES, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. LOBIONDO, Miss 

GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N of Puerto Rico, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. 

HANABUSA, Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania, Mr. CRIST, Mr. 

GOTTHEIMER, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, 

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. UPTON, and Ms. 

BORDALLO) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that those who served 

in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of the Republic 

of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 

1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, should be presumed 

to have served in the Republic of Vietnam for all purposes under the Agent Orange Act of 1991. 

Whereas section 1116(f) of title 38, United States Code, 

states that ‘‘For the purposes of establishing service connection for a disability or death resulting from exposure 


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•HCON 45 IH 

to a herbicide agent, including a presumption of serviceconnection under this section, a veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served in the Republic 

of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 

1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, shall be presumed to 

have been exposed during such service to an herbicide 

agent containing dioxin or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 

and may be presumed to have been exposed during such 

service to any other chemical compound in an herbicide 

agent, unless there is affirmative evidence to establish 

that the veteran was not exposed to any such agent during that service.’’; 

Whereas the international definition and United States-recognized borders of the Republic of Vietnam includes the 

bays, harbors, and territorial seas of that Republic; 

Whereas multiple scientific and medical sources, including 

studies done by the Government of Australia, have shown 

evidence of exposure to herbicide agents such as Agent 

Orange by those serving in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of the Republic of Vietnam; 

Whereas veterans who served in the Armed Forces in the 

bays, harbors, and territorial seas of the Republic of 

Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 

1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, were exposed to this 

toxin through their ships’ distillation processes, air and 

water currents, and the use of exposed water from inland 

sources, such as water from near heavily sprayed Monkey 

Mountain, delivered by exposed water barges; 

Whereas such veterans experience a significantly higher percentage of medical conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure compared to those in the regular populace; 


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•HCON 45 IH 

Whereas when passing the Agent Orange Act of 1991 (Public 

Law 102–4), Congress did not differentiate between 

those who served on the inland waterways and on land 

versus those who served in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of that Republic; 

Whereas the purpose behind providing presumptive coverage 

for medical conditions associated with exposure to Agent 

Orange is because proving such exposure decades after 

its occurrence is not scientifically or medically possible; 

and 

Whereas thousands of veterans who served in the Armed 

Forces in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of the 

Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, die at increasing rates every year: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes the intent of the Agent Orange 

4 Act of 1991 (Public Law 102–4) included the pre5 sumption that those veterans who served in the 

6 Armed Forces in the bays, harbors, and territorial 

7 seas of the Republic of Vietnam during the period 

8 beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 

9 7, 1975, served in the Republic of Vietnam for all 

10 purposes under the Agent Orange Act of 1991; 

11 (2) intends for those veterans who served in the 

12 Armed Forces during the period beginning on Janu13 ary 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, in the 


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•HCON 45 IH 

1 bays, harbors, territorial seas, inland waterways, on 

2 the ground in the Republic of Vietnam, and other 

3 areas exposed to Agent Orange, and having been di4 agnosed with connected medical conditions to be 

5 equally recognized for such exposure through equi6 table benefits and coverage as those who served in 

7 the inland rivers and on the Vietnamese land mass; 

8 and 

9 (3) calls on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 

10 review the policy of the Department of Veterans Af11 fairs that excludes presumptive coverage for expo12 sure to Agent Orange to veterans described in para13 graph (1). 

Æ 


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