Title: To amend titles 10 and 37, United States Code, to ensure that children covered by the TRICARE program are screened and tested for lead levels, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill expands requirements for lead-level testing or screening as part of well-baby care under the TRICARE program of health care for members and dependents. It prescribes testing for the level of lead in the blood at the ages of both 12 and 24 months for children who may be at elevated risk of lead exposure. Test results shall be provided to state health departments (or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the case of children residing abroad).
The Government Accountability Office shall study the effectiveness of such screening, testing, and treatment for lead exposure and poisoning.
The Department of Defense shall maintain records concerning the year housing for military personnel was built, and members must provide notice of when their residence was built as a condition of receiving a housing allowance.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2254 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2254

To amend titles 10 and 37, United States Code, to ensure that children 
covered by the TRICARE program are screened and tested for lead levels, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2019

Mr. Kildee (for himself and Ms. Speier) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend titles 10 and 37, United States Code, to ensure that children 
covered by the TRICARE program are screened and tested for lead levels, 
                        and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. LEAD LEVEL SCREENINGS AND TESTINGS FOR CHILDREN.

    (a) TRICARE.--
            (1) Well-baby care.--Section 1077 of title 10, United 
        States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(i)(1) Beginning January 1, 2019, in furnishing well-baby care 
under subsection (a)(8), the Secretary shall ensure that such care 
includes the following:
            ``(A) With respect to a child who lives in housing built 
        before 1978 at any time during the first 24 months of the life 
        of the child--
                    ``(i) the first testing of the child for the level 
                of lead in the blood of the child at approximately the 
                age of 12 months; and
                    ``(ii) the second such test at approximately the 
                age of 24 months.
            ``(B) With respect to a child not covered by subparagraph 
        (A) whose parent or guardian, at any time during the first 24 
        months of the life of the child, has a military occupational 
        specialty that the Secretary determines poses an elevated risk 
        of lead exposure--
                    ``(i) the first testing of the child for the level 
                of lead in the blood of the child at approximately the 
                age of 12 months; and
                    ``(ii) the second such test at approximately the 
                age of 24 months.
            ``(C) With respect to a child not covered by subparagraph 
        (A) or (B)--
                    ``(i) the first screening of the child for an 
                elevated risk of lead exposure at approximately the age 
                of 12 months; and
                    ``(ii) the second such screening at approximately 
                the age of 24 months.
            ``(D) With respect to a child covered by subparagraph (C) 
        whose screening indicates an elevated risk of lead exposure, 
        testing of the child for the level of lead in the blood of the 
        child.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall ensure that any care provided to a child 
pursuant to this chapter for lead poisoning shall be carried out in 
accordance with applicable advice from the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
    ``(3)(A) With respect to a child who receives a test under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide the results of the test to 
the parent or guardian of the child.
    ``(B) With respect to a child who receives a test under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall provide the results of the test and the 
address at which the child resides to--
            ``(i) the relevant health department of the State in which 
        the child resides if the child resides in the United States; or
            ``(ii) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if 
        the child resides outside the United States.
    ``(C) In providing information regarding a child to a State or the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under subparagraph (B), the 
Secretary may not provide any identifying information or health 
information of the child that is not specifically authorized in such 
subparagraph.
    ``(D) In this paragraph, the term `State' means each of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and 
any territory or possession of the United States.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Subsection (a)(8) of such 
        section is amended by striking ``including well-baby care that 
        includes one screening of an infant for the level of lead in 
        the blood of the infant'' and inserting ``including, in 
        accordance with subsection (i), well-baby care that includes 
        screenings and testings for lead exposure and lead poisoning''.
            (3) Study.--Not later than January 1, 2020, the Secretary 
        of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
        (as defined by section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States 
        Code) a report detailing the following:
                    (A) The number of children who were tested for the 
                level of lead in the blood of the child pursuant to 
                subparagraph (A) of subsection (i)(1) of section 1077 
                of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection 
                (a), and of such number, the number who were found to 
                have elevated blood lead levels.
                    (B) The number of children who were tested for the 
                level of lead in the blood of the child pursuant to 
                subparagraph (B) of such subsection (i)(1), and of such 
                number, the number who were found to have lead 
                poisoning.
                    (C) The number of children who were screened for an 
                elevated risk of lead exposure pursuant to subparagraph 
                (C) of such subsection (i)(1).
                    (D) The number of children who were tested the 
                level of lead in the blood of the child pursuant to 
                subparagraph (D) of such subsection, and of such 
                number, the number who were found to have elevated 
                blood lead levels.
                    (E) The treatment provided to children pursuant to 
                chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, for lead 
                poisoning.
            (4) GAO report.--Not later than January 1, 2021, the 
        Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
        congressional defense committees a report on the effectiveness 
        of screening, testing, and treating children for lead exposure 
        and lead poisoning pursuant to chapter 55 of title 10, United 
        States Code.
    (b) Notification of Housing.--Section 403 of title 37, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(p) Records Regarding Housing and Lead-Based Paint.--(1) The 
Secretary concerned shall keep a record of whether the following 
housing was built before, during, or after 1978:
            ``(A) Quarters of the United States under the jurisdiction 
        of that Secretary concerned.
            ``(B) A housing facility under the jurisdiction of that 
        Secretary concerned.
            ``(C) Other housing in which a member of the uniformed 
        service of that Secretary concerned resides.
    ``(2) As a condition of receipt of a basic allowance for housing 
under this section, a member of the uniformed services shall notify the 
Secretary concerned whether the housing in which that member resides 
was built before, during, or after 1978.''.
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