PFAS Registry Act of 2021
Bill: S.1121 | Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
PFAS Registry Act of 2021
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a registry for current or past members of the Armed Forces who may have been exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances due to the environmental release of aqueous film-forming foam at a military installation or other Department of Defense (DOD) location. Additionally, the VA must consult with DOD and the Environmental Protection Agency to make recommendations for additional chemicals that should be included in the registry.

To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and maintain 
 a registry for certain individuals who may have been exposed to per- 
  and polyfluoroalkyl substances due to the environmental release of 
          aqueous film-forming foam on military installations.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``PFAS Registry Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. REGISTRY OF INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED TO PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL 
              SUBSTANCES ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

    (a) Establishment of Registry.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall--
                    (A) establish and maintain a registry for eligible 
                individuals who may have been exposed to per- and 
                polyfluoroalkyl substances (in this section referred to 
                as ``PFAS'') due to the environmental release of 
                aqueous film-forming foam (in this section referred to 
                as ``AFFF'') on military installations to meet the 
                requirements of military specification MIL-F-24385F;
                    (B) include any information in such registry that 
                the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines necessary 
                to ascertain and monitor the health effects of the 
                exposure of members of the Armed Forces to PFAS 
                associated with AFFF;
                    (C) develop a public information campaign to inform 
                eligible individuals about the registry, including how 
                to register and the benefits of registering; and
                    (D) periodically notify eligible individuals of 
                significant developments in the study and treatment of 
                conditions associated with exposure to PFAS.
            (2) Coordination.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        coordinate with the Secretary of Defense in carrying out 
        paragraph (1).
    (b) Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than two years after the 
        date on which the registry under subsection (a) is established, 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress an 
        initial report containing the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the effectiveness of actions 
                taken by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
                Secretary of Defense to collect and maintain 
                information on the health effects of exposure to PFAS.
                    (B) Recommendations to improve the collection and 
                maintenance of such information.
                    (C) Using established and previously published 
                epidemiological studies, recommendations regarding the 
                most effective and prudent means of addressing the 
                medical needs of eligible individuals with respect to 
                exposure to PFAS.
            (2) Follow-up report.--Not later than five years after 
        submitting the initial report under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a 
        follow-up report containing the following:
                    (A) An update to the initial report submitted under 
                paragraph (1).
                    (B) An assessment of whether and to what degree the 
                content of the registry established under subsection 
                (a) is current and scientifically up-to-date.
            (3) Independent scientific organization.--The Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs shall enter into an agreement with an 
        independent scientific organization to prepare the reports 
        under paragraphs (1) and (2).
    (c) Recommendations for Additional Exposures To Be Included.--Not 
later than five years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
every five years thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, shall submit to Congress 
recommendations for additional chemicals with respect to which 
individuals exposed to such chemicals should be included in the 
registry established under subsection (a).
    (d) Eligible Individual Defined.--In this section, the term 
``eligible individual'' means any individual who, on or after a date 
specified by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs through regulations, 
served or is serving in the Armed Forces at a military installation 
where AFFF was used or at another location of the Department of Defense 
where AFFF was used.
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