Title: 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.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Recognizes that the intent of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 included the presumption that veterans who served in the Armed Forces in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, served in Vietnam for all purposes under the Agent Orange Act of 1991.
Expresses the intent that such veterans who served in those areas and other areas exposed to Agent Orange who have been diagnosed with connected medical conditions should be equally recognized for such exposure through equitable benefits and coverage as those who served in the inland rivers and on the Vietnamese land mass.
Calls on the Department of Veterans Affairs to review its policy that excludes presumptive coverage for Agent Orange exposure for such veterans.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 45 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 Gonzalez-Colon 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 to a herbicide agent, including a presumption of 
        service-connection 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;
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
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the intent of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 
        (Public Law 102-4) included the presumption that those 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, served 
        in the Republic of Vietnam for all purposes under the Agent 
        Orange Act of 1991;
            (2) intends for those veterans who served in the Armed 
        Forces during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and 
        ending on May 7, 1975, in the bays, harbors, territorial seas, 
        inland waterways, on the ground in the Republic of Vietnam, and 
        other areas exposed to Agent Orange, and having been diagnosed 
        with connected medical conditions to be equally recognized for 
        such exposure through equitable benefits and coverage as those 
        who served in the inland rivers and on the Vietnamese land 
        mass; and
            (3) calls on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to review 
        the policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs that excludes 
        presumptive coverage for exposure to Agent Orange to veterans 
        described in paragraph (1).
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