Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 to revise the duties, operations, and makeup of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (Committee).
Directs the Committee, which is to be independent of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), to provide advice regarding proposed research relating to the health consequences of military service in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War to Congress, the Secretary, and the heads of other federal agencies that conduct such research.
Prohibits the Committee from conducting scientific research or reviewing research proposals submitted to the Secretary prior to funding.
Requires the Committee to judge the choice and success of federal Gulf War health-related research efforts with the premise that the fundamental goal of those efforts is to ultimately improve the health of ill Gulf War veterans.
Directs the Committee to submit an annual report to the congressional veterans committees and the Secretary summarizing its activities.
Prohibits Committee reports, recommendations, publications, and other documents from being subject to the Secretary's review or approval.
Requires each report submitted by the Committee to be approved by the Committee meeting in public session prior to such submission.
Requires the Committee to be composed of 12 members appointed by the Secretary and specified members of the Committees on Veterans Affairs. Requires, of the Committee members appointed after this Act's enactment: (1) at least three to be veterans; (2) at least eight to be scientists or physicians who have experience in biomedicine, epidemiology, immunology, environmental health, neurology, toxicology, or other appropriate disciplines; and (3) the chairman to be a veteran, a scientist or physician, or both.
Sets the term of Committee members appointed after this Act's enactment at three years.
Requires the Committee to meet at least twice annually and its meetings to be open to the public.
The summary continues for 13 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House without amendment" stage on May 28, 2014. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
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 June 2, 2014: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- 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 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 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?
Mike Coffman (R-CO) introduced it on March 14, 2014, and 8 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 3 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 March 14, 2014, 4563 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4483 days ago, on June 2, 2014.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 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
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers