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H.R. 4249 · 118th CongressIn committee

VET PFAS Act

Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Health. · August 8, 2023

Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research Service

Veterans Exposed to Toxic PFAS Act or the VET PFAS Act

This bill provides eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital care and medical services to veterans and their family members (including those in utero) who have specified conditions and resided at a military installation where individuals were exposed to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects.

Hospital care and medical services may not be furnished for a condition that is found to have resulted from a cause other than the exposure to PFAS at a military installation.

The VA may provide reimbursement for hospital care or medical services provided to a family member only after the family member or provider has exhausted all claims and remedies otherwise available for payment of such care.

For disability compensation purposes, the bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for specified conditions in veterans who served at a military installation at which individuals were exposed to PFAS. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 21, 2023. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

Status
Introduced
June 21, 2023
In committee
August 8, 2023
Passed a chamber
Cleared Congress
Enacted
Where this sits in the process
Common questions
Composed from the official record
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?

4 steps remain before this bill could become law.

The record's latest action, on August 8, 2023: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

  1. Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
  2. Passage by the House
  3. Passage by the Senate
  4. The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?

Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.

In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.

This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.

Has anyone actually voted on it?

No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.

A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.

Who is behind it?

Daniel Kildee (D-MI) introduced it on June 21, 2023, and 41 members have since signed on as cosponsors.

They come from both major parties: 37 Democrats, 4 Republicans.

Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.

How long has it been in play?

It was introduced on June 21, 2023, 1177 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1129 days ago, on August 8, 2023.

Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.

Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.

Vote history

  1. House
    In committee, no floor vote yet
  2. Senate
    Awaits House passage
  3. President
    Awaits both chambers
No recorded votes yet
No roll call in this Congress cites this bill. Most bills die in committee without ever reaching a recorded floor vote.