A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a registry of certain veterans who were stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), not later than one year after the enactment of this Act, to establish and maintain a registry to be known as the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Health Registry (Registry) containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada (Gagetown), during the period beginning on January 1, 1956, and ending on December 31, 2006, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability that may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide the examination, as well as consultation and counseling regarding examination results to the service member and counseling and consultation to family members of a deceased service member.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Gagetown; (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling; (3) provide for a study by an independent entity, not affiiated with the VA, on the potential exposure of individuals to toxic substances or environmental hazards related to service at Gagetown; and (4) submit to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs an annual report on the Registry.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on December 20, 2013. 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 December 20, 2013: 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 Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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?
Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced it on December 20, 2013, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 independent.
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 December 20, 2013, 4647 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4647 days ago, on December 20, 2013.
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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers