I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4269 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Defense 
to use only human-based methods for training members of the Armed 
Forces in the treatment of severe combat and chemical and biological 
injuries. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 10, 2009 
Mr. FILNER (for himself, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. 
MORAN of Virginia, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. STARK, Mr. FARR, 
Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. DICKS, Mr. PETERS, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. ROTHMAN 
of New Jersey, and Mr. GRIJALVA) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the Sec-
retary of Defense to use only human-based methods for 
training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment 
of severe combat and chemical and biological injuries. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Battlefield Excellence 
through Superior Training Practices Act’’ or ‘‘BEST 
Practices Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Department of Defense has made im-
pressive strides in the development and use of meth-
ods of medical training and protection of members 
of the Armed Forces, such as the use of tourniquets 
and improvements in body armor, that have likely 
led to decreased battlefield fatalities. 
(2) The Department of Defense uses live mon-
keys to train medical personnel to treat casualties of 
chemical and biological agent attacks and uses live 
goats and pigs to teach physicians, medics, corps-
men, and other personnel methods to respond to se-
vere battlefield injuries. 
(3) The civilian sector has almost exclusively 
phased-in the use of superior human-based training 
methods for numerous medical procedures currently 
taught in military courses with the use of animals. 
(4) Human-based methods have been developed 
and validated for training responses to common bat-
tlefield injuries and chemical and biological agent at-
tacks. 
(5) Management of hemorrhage, sucking chest 
wounds, airway compromise, and many other combat 
trauma injuries can be taught using numerous med-
ical simulators and partial task trainers. 
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(6) Entirely human-based curricula (consisting 
of medical simulation and moulage training sessions) 
for the management of patients exposed to biological 
and chemical agents are widespread in civilian hos-
pitals. 
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO USE HUMAN-BASED METHODS 
FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL TRAINING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 101 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 2016. Requirement to use human-based methods 
for certain medical training 
‘‘(a) COMBAT TRAUMA INJURIES.—Not later than 
October 1, 2013, the Secretary of Defense— 
‘‘(1) shall only use human-based training meth-
ods for the purpose of training members of the 
Armed Forces in the treatment of combat trauma 
injuries; and 
‘‘(2) may not use animals for such purpose. 
‘‘(b) CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CASUALTY MAN-
AGEMENT.—The Secretary— 
‘‘(1) shall only use human-based training meth-
ods for the purpose of training members of the 
Armed Forces in the management of chemical and 
biological casualties; and 
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‘‘(2) may not use animals for such purpose. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘combat trauma injuries’ means 
severe injuries likely to occur during combat, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(A) hemorrhage related to a wound to the 
extremities; 
‘‘(B) sucking-chest wounds; 
‘‘(C) compromises to the airway; and 
‘‘(D) other injuries. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘human-based training methods’ 
means, with respect to training individuals in med-
ical treatment, the use of systems and devices that 
do not use animals, including— 
‘‘(A) simulators; 
‘‘(B) partial task trainers; 
‘‘(C) moulage; 
‘‘(D) simulated combat environments; 
‘‘(E) human cadavers; and 
‘‘(F) rotations in civilian and military trau-
ma centers. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘partial task trainers’ means 
training aids that allow individuals to learn or prac-
tice specific medical procedures.’’. 
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 101 of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
item: 
‘‘2016. Requirement to use human-based methods for certain medical training.’’. 
Æ 
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