Title: K2 Veterans Advocacy Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
K2 Veterans Advocacy Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to complete a study to identify and assess any causation or correlation between exposure to toxicants at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan between October 7, 2001, and November 21, 2005, and incidents of cancer or other diseases in members of the Armed Forces.
The bill also expands the definition of an open burn pit, for purposes of the VA's open burn pit registry, to include burn pits located on land in Uzbekistan. A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4384 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4384

  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to address exposure by 
members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances at Karshi-Khanabad Air 
               Base, Uzbekistan, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2020

Mr. Sullivan (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to address exposure by 
members of the Armed Forces to toxic substances at Karshi-Khanabad Air 
               Base, Uzbekistan, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``K2 Veterans Advocacy Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON EXPOSURE BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO TOXICANTS 
              AT KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE IN UZBEKISTAN.

    (a) Agreement and Study.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
enter into an agreement with the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry for the Administrator to complete, not 
later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, a 
study to identify and assess any causation or correlation between--
            (1) exposure to toxicants at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air 
        Base in Uzbekistan during the period beginning on October 7, 
        2001, and ending on November 21, 2005; and
            (2) incidents of cancer and other diseases or illnesses 
        experienced by individuals who were members of the Armed Forces 
        during the period described in paragraph (1) and exposed to 
        toxicants as described in such paragraph.
    (b) Elements.--The study conducted under subsection (a) shall 
include the following:
            (1) An assessment regarding the conditions of Karshi-
        Khanabad Air Base, Uzbekistan, during the period beginning on 
        October 1, 2001, and ending on December 31, 2005, including an 
        identification of toxic substances contaminating the Air Base 
        during such period.
            (2) An epidemiological study of the health consequences of 
        individuals who were members of the Armed Forces deployed to 
        the Air Base during such period.
    (c) Support for Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide the 
        Administrator with assistance in carrying out the study 
        required by subsection (a), including by gathering such 
        information as the Administrator may consider useful in 
        carrying out the study, including environmental sampling data 
        relative to any location included in the study.
            (2) Obtaining information concerning exposure.--Assistance 
        under paragraph (1) provided by the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs shall include compiling information on exposure 
        described in subsection (a)(1) and any head of a Federal 
        department or agency with information concerning such exposure, 
        including the Secretary of Defense, shall provide the Secretary 
        of Veterans Affairs with such information concerning such 
        exposure as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs considers 
        appropriate for purposes of the study required by subsection 
        (a).
    (d) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a report on the matters 
        covered by the study completed under subsection (a).
            (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) The findings of the Administrator with respect 
                to the study completed under subsection (a).
                    (B) A description of--
                            (i) the benefits administered by the 
                        Secretary that a veteran may be eligible to 
                        receive by reason of being exposed to toxic 
                        substances at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, 
                        Uzbekistan, while serving in the Armed Forces; 
                        and
                            (ii) the outreach conducted by the 
                        Secretary to inform such veterans of such 
                        benefits.
            (3) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives.
    (e) Inclusion of Uzbekistan in Certain Registries and Programs.--
Section 201(c)(2) of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits 
Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note) is 
amended, in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
``Afghanistan or Iraq'' and inserting ``Afghanistan, Iraq, or 
Uzbekistan''.
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