SB0597enr 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY



 


 
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1     AN ACT concerning veterans.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 National Guard Veterans Exposure to Hazardous Materials Act.
 
6     Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7     "Depleted uranium" means uranium containing less
8 uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of
9 uranium isotopes.
10     "Eligible member" means a member of the Illinois National
11 Guard who served in the Persian Gulf War, as defined in 38
12 U.S.C. 101, or in an area designated as a combat zone by the
13 President of the United States during Operation Enduring
14 Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
15     "Military physician" includes a physician who is under
16 contract with the United States Department of Defense to
17 provide physician services to members of the armed forces.
18     "Veteran" means any person honorably discharged from, or
19 released under honorable conditions from active service in, the
20 armed forces who served as an eligible member.
 
21     Section 10. Assistance in obtaining information on
22 treatment. On and after October 1, 2007, the Department of

 

 

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1 Veterans' Affairs shall assist any eligible member or veteran
2 who (i) has been assigned a risk level I, II, or III for
3 depleted uranium exposure by his or her branch of service, (ii)
4 is referred by a military physician, or (iii) has reason to
5 believe that he or she was exposed to depleted uranium during
6 such service, in obtaining information on available federal
7 treatment services, including a best practice health screening
8 test for exposure to depleted uranium using a bioassay
9 procedure involving sensitive methods capable of detecting
10 depleted uranium at low levels and the use of equipment with
11 the capacity to discriminate between different radioisotopes
12 in naturally occurring levels of uranium and the characteristic
13 ratio and marker for depleted uranium. No State funds shall be
14 used to pay for such tests or other federal treatment services.
 
15     Section 15. Certification concerning National Guard
16 information. On or before October 1, 2007, the Adjutant General
17 shall certify to the General Assembly that members of the
18 Illinois National Guard are informed of possible health risks
19 associated with exposure to depleted uranium. The
20 certification shall apply to both predeployment and
21 post-mobilization information activities and post-deployment
22 health screening.
 
23     Section 20. Task force.
24     (a) There is established a task force within the Department

 

 

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1 of Veterans' Affairs to study the possible health effects of
2 the exposure to hazardous materials, including, but not limited
3 to, depleted uranium, as they relate to military service. The
4 task force shall do the following:
5         (1) Consider initiation of a health registry for
6     veterans returning from Afghanistan, Iraq, or other
7     countries in which depleted uranium or other hazardous
8     materials may be found.
9         (2) Develop a plan for an outreach plan to ensure that
10     veterans and military personnel are informed of available
11     resources.
12         (3) Prepare a report for service members concerning
13     potential exposure to depleted uranium and other toxic
14     chemical substances and the precautions recommended under
15     combat and noncombat conditions while in a combat zone.
16         (4) Make any other recommendations the task force
17     considers appropriate.
18     (b) The task force shall consist of the following members:
19         (1) The Adjutant General or his or her designee.
20         (2) The Director of Veterans' Affairs or his or her
21     designee.
22         (3) The Director of Public Health or his or her
23     designee.
24         (4) Eight members who are members of the General
25     Assembly, appointed 2 each by the President of the Senate
26     and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and 2 each

 

 

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1     by the Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority
2     Leader of the House of Representatives.
3         (5) Two members who are veterans with knowledge of or
4     experience with exposure to hazardous materials, appointed
5     one each by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of
6     the House of Representatives.
7         (6) Four members who are physicians or scientists with
8     knowledge of or experience in the detection or health
9     effects of exposure to depleted uranium or other hazardous
10     materials, appointed one each by the President of the
11     Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of
12     the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of
13     the House of Representatives.
14     (c) All appointments to the task force shall be made no
15 later than 30 days after the effective date of this Act. Any
16 vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.
17     (d) The members of the task force shall select as
18 chairpersons of the task force one Senator and one
19 Representative from among the members appointed under
20 paragraph (4) of subsection (b) of this Section. The
21 chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task
22 force, which shall be held no later than 60 days after the
23 effective date of this Act.
24     (e) Not later than January 31, 2008, the task force shall
25 submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the
26 General Assembly. The task force shall terminate on the date

 

 

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1 that it submits the report or on January 31, 2008, whichever is
2 earlier.
 
3     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4 becoming law.