I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 691
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a portion of any
funds recovered by the United States in any future lawsuit brought
by the United States against the tobacco industry to be made available
for health care for veterans.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 10, 1999
Mr. STEARNS (for himself, Mr. STUMP, Mr. EVANS, Mr. SHOWS, Mr. RAHALL,
and Mrs. KELLY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a
portion of any funds recovered by the United States
in any future lawsuit brought by the United States
against the tobacco industry to be made available for
health care for veterans.
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 ‘‘Veterans Tobacco
Trust Fund Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Smoking related illnesses, including cancer,
heart disease, and emphysema, are highly prevalent
among the more than 3,000,000 veterans who use
the Department of Veterans Affairs health care sys-
tem annually.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs esti-
mates that it spent $3,600,000,000 in 1997 to treat
smoking-related illnesses and that over the next five
years it will spend $20,000,000,000 on such care.
(3) Congress established the Department of
Veterans Affairs in furtherance of its constitutional
power to provide for the national defense in order to
provide benefits and services to veterans of the uni-
formed services.
(4) There is in the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs a health care system which has as its primary
function to provide a complete medical and hospital
service for the medical care and treatment of such
veterans as can be served through available appro-
priations.
(5) The Federal Government, including the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, has lacked the means
to prevent the onset of smoking-related illnesses
among veterans and has had no authority to deny
needed treatment to any veteran on the basis that
an illness is or might be smoking-related.
(6) With some 20 percent of its health care
budget absorbed in treating smoking-related ill-
nesses, the Department of Veterans Affairs health
care system has lacked resources to provide needed
nursing home care, home care, community-based
ambulatory care, and other services to tens of thou-
sands of other veterans.
(7) The network of academically affiliated medi-
cal centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs
provides a unique system within which outstanding
medical research is conducted and which has the po-
tential to expand significantly ongoing research on
tobacco-related illnesses.
(8) It is in the public interest for Congress to
enact legislation requiring that a portion of any
amounts received from manufacturers of tobacco
products be used to meet the costs of (A) treatment
for diseases and adverse health effects associated
with the use of tobacco products by those who served
their country in uniform, and (B) medical and
health services research relating to prevention and
treatment of, and rehabilitation from, tobacco addic-
tion and diseases associated with tobacco use.
limitations (other than with respect to the period of
availability for obligation) as apply to amounts ap-
propriated from the general fund of the Treasury for
that fiscal year for medical care.
‘‘(2) Conducting medical research, rehabilita-
tion research, and health systems research, with par-
ticular emphasis on research relating to prevention
and treatment of, and rehabilitation from, tobacco
addiction and diseases associated with tobacco use.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.— The table of sections
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 1729A the following new
item:
‘‘Sec. 1729B. Veterans Tobacco Trust Fund.’’.
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