United States 116th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 5 R · 5 D cosponsors

HR 4086 — Protection for Veterans’ Burn Pit Exposure Act of 2019

Last action — Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Protection for Veterans' Burn Pit Exposure Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make a determination, after receipt of a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) titled Respiratory Health Effects of Airborne Hazards Exposures in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations, on whether a positive association exists between (1) the exposure of humans to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open air burn pits (areas used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment) and other airborne hazards, and (2) the occurrence of a diagnosed illness in humans. Upon determination of a positive association, the VA must prescribe regulations providing that (1) a presumption of service-connection is warranted for certain illnesses manifesting in certain time frames, and (2) covered veterans shall be presumed to have been exposed to toxic airborne chemicals caused by open burn pits unless conclusive evidence proves otherwise. Covered veterans are veterans who were deployed on or after September 11, 2001, in support of a contingency operation and based at a location where an open burn pit was used. If the VA determines a presumption of service-connection is not warranted, a notice must be published and include an explanation of the basis for the determination. The bill also requires the VA to remove previous presumptions if evidence indicates such presumption is not warranted. The Department of Defense must provide NASEM with access to information it requests for the study on Respiratory Health Effects of Airborne Hazards Exposures in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  4. Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  5. Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

  6. Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 9 co-sponsors · 537 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (9)

Not signed on (537)

537 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 537 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

veterans health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 4086 do?
Protection for Veterans' Burn Pit Exposure Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make a determination, after receipt of a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) titled Respiratory Health Effects of Airborne Hazards Exposures in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations, on whether a positive association exists between (1) the exposure of humans to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open air burn pits (areas used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment) and other airborne hazards, and (2) the occurrence of a diagnosed illness in humans. Upon determination of a positive association, the VA must prescribe regulations providing that (1) a presumption of service-connection is warranted for certain illnesses manifesting in certain time frames, and (2) covered veterans shall be presumed to have been exposed to toxic airborne chemicals caused by open burn pits unless conclusive evidence proves otherwise. Covered veterans are veterans who were deployed on or after September 11, 2001, in support of a contingency operation and based at a location where an open burn pit was used. If the VA determines a presumption of service-connection is not warranted, a notice must be published and include an explanation of the basis for the determination. The bill also requires the VA to remove previous presumptions if evidence indicates such presumption is not warranted. The Department of Defense must provide NASEM with access to information it requests for the study on Respiratory Health Effects of Airborne Hazards Exposures in the Southwest Asia Theater of Military Operations.
Who sponsors HR 4086?
HR 4086 is sponsored by Bilirakis, Gus M. (Republican), Ruiz, Raul (Democratic), Welch, Peter (Democratic), Tipton, Scott R. (Republican), Banks, Jim (Republican), Barr, Andy (Republican), Gottheimer, Josh (Democratic), Axne, Cynthia (Democratic), Katko, John (Republican), and Vela, Filemon (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 4086?
This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 4086?
Track HR 4086 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HR 4086

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HR 4086

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →