Title: Protect Our Military Children Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Protect Our Military Children Act
This bill directs the Department of Defense to carry out a pilot program providing blood testing to children of certain members of the Armed Forces. Such members are those who served on a military installation in the continental United States that was exposed to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances at any time during the previous 10 years.
A criterion for selection of an installation for participation shall be whether a high rate of children receive health care at a military medical treatment facility at the installation.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4295 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4295

 To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program under 
  which the Secretary determines the exposure of certain children of 
   members of the Armed Forces to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 
                              substances.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 12, 2019

  Mr. Kim (for himself, Ms. Dean, and Ms. Torres Small of New Mexico) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program under 
  which the Secretary determines the exposure of certain children of 
   members of the Armed Forces to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 
                              substances.

    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 ``Protect Our Military Children Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR BLOOD TESTING OF CERTAIN CHILDREN TO 
              DETERMINE EXPOSURE TO PERFLUOROALKYL AND POLYFLUOROALKYL 
              SUBSTANCES.

    (a) Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--During the period preceding October 1, 
        2023, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Defense 
        Health Agency, shall carry out a pilot program under which the 
        Secretary provides blood testing to a covered child to 
        determine and document the potential exposure of the child to 
        perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly known 
        as ``PFAS''). The Secretary shall provide such testing at 
        military medical treatment facilities at locations selected 
        pursuant to subsection (b).
            (2) Standards.--The Secretary shall carry out the blood 
        testing under paragraph (1) in accordance with standards 
        established by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
        Registry of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    (b) Locations.--The Secretary shall select military installations 
at which to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a)(1). A 
criterion in making such selection shall be whether the military 
installation has a high rate of covered children who receive health 
care at military medical treatment facilities at the installation.
    (c) Results.--In carrying out the pilot program under subsection 
(a)(1), the Secretary shall provide the results of a blood test of a 
covered child to the parent or guardian of the child.
    (d) Outreach.--The Secretary shall conduct outreach at military 
installations at which the pilot program under subsection (a)(1) is 
carried out to encourage participation in the pilot program, including 
by notifying members of the Armed Forces and dependents who live on or 
near such installations of--
            (1) the background on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 
        substances;
            (2) the availability of blood tests under the pilot 
        program; and
            (3) the benefits of such tests.
    (e) Report.--Not later than January 1, 2024, the Secretary shall 
submit to the congressional defense committees (as defined in section 
101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code) a report on the pilot 
program under subsection (a)(1), including a summary of the results of 
the testing conducted under the pilot program.
    (f) Covered Child Defined.--In this subsection, the term ``covered 
child'' means a child specified in section 1072(6) of title 10, United 
States Code, who--
            (1) has not attained the age of 18; and
            (2) is a dependent of a member of the Armed Forces whom the 
        Secretary determines served on a military installation in the 
        continental United States that was exposed to perfluoroalkyl 
        and polyfluoroalkyl substances at any time during the 10-year 
        period preceding the date of the enactment of this Act.
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