Agent Orange Act of 1991
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Long title | An Act to provide for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to obtain independent scientific review of the available scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides, and for other purposes. |
|---|---|
| Acronyms (colloquial) | AOA |
| Nicknames | Agent Orange bill |
| Enacted by | the 102nd United States Congress |
| Effective | February 6, 1991 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | 102-4 |
| Statutes at Large | 105 Stat. 11 |
| Codification | |
| Titles amended | 38 U.S.C.: Veterans' Benefits |
| U.S.C. sections created | 38 U.S.C. § 1116 |
| U.S.C. sections amended | |
| Legislative history | |
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Agent Orange Act of 1991 establishes provisions for the National Academy of Sciences to analyze and summarize scientific evidence regarding presumptive military service exposure to defoliants, dioxins, and herbicides, better known as Agent Orange, during the Vietnam War era. The United States Statute endorses an observation of human medical conditions directly related to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, soft-tissue sarcoma, chloracne, and consistent acneform diseases for military personnel who served in the overseas Vietnamese region. The Act of Congress ratifies a medical research compilation of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples provided by Vietnam-era veterans serving in Southeast Asia between 1961 and 1975.
The H.R. 556 legislation was passed by the 102nd United States Congressional session and enacted into law by the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush on February 6, 1991.[1][2]
On March 20, 1979, President Jimmy Carter issued Proclamation 4647 acknowledging the Memorial Day week of May 28 through June 3, 1979 as Vietnam Veterans Week, 1979.[3][4][5]
Agent Orange Study of 1979
On December 6, 1979, the 96th United States Congress passed H.R. 3892, better known as Veterans Health Programs Extension and Improvement Act of 1979.[6] The Title 38 amendment, better known as Title III: Veterans' Administration Medical Personnel Amendments and Miscellaneous Provisions, was enacted into law by the 39th President of the United States Jimmy Carter on December 20, 1979. House Bill 3892 endorsed the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct an epidemiological study concerning human exposure and the adverse health effects of dioxins and phenoxy herbicides.[7] The persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances protocol was subject to approval by the Office of Technology Assessment as stated in the provisions of the H.R. 3892 legislation.[8]
The 96th United States Senate passed bill S. 2096 sanctioning the Agent Orange study to be conducted by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.[9] On January 2, 1980, President Jimmy Carter vetoed the Senate bill due to the repetitive purpose of the Section 307a1 provisions as stated in House bill 3892.[10]
See also
Chemistry of Defoliants and Herbicides
| 2,4-D | Naphthenic acid |
| 2,4,5-T | Palmitic acid |
| Cacodylic acid | PCDD |
| Dioxin | Picloram |
| Diquat | TCDD |
References
Title 38 amendments and associated statutes
U.S. Congressional amendments to Title 38 regarding veterans' military benefits as related to the adverse effects of Agent Orange and exposure to dioxins.
U.S. Statutes Related to Veterans' Military Benefits | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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United States oversight of chemical weapons
- "Veterans: Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam" (PDF). U.S. GAO ~ CED-78-158. U.S. Government Accountability Office. August 16, 1978.
- "Veterans: Agent Orange" (PDF). U.S. GAO ~ 111614. U.S. Government Accountability Office. February 21, 1980.
- "VA'S Agent Orange Examination Program: Actions Needed To More Effectively Address Veterans' Health Concerns" (PDF). U.S. GAO ~ HRD-83-6. U.S. Government Accountability Office. October 25, 1982.
- "H.R. 1961 - Agent Orange Relief Act". Office of History, Art, & Archives. Washington, D.C.: United States House of Representatives. March 8, 1983.
- "Serum Dioxin in Vietnam-Era Veterans -- Preliminary Report". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. July 24, 1987.
- Bush, George H.W. (May 13, 1991). "Statement on Chemical Weapons - May 13, 1991". Internet Archive. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service. p. 503.
- "Agent Orange: Persisting Problems With Communication of Ranch Hand Study Data and Results" (PDF). U.S. GAO ~ T-NSIAD-00-117. U.S. Government Accountability Office. March 15, 2000.
- "Agent Orange: Actions Needed to Improve Accuracy and Communication of Information on Testing and Storage Locations" (PDF). U.S. GAO ~ 19-24. U.S. Government Accountability Office. November 15, 2018.
- H.R. 2634 - Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2011 at Congress.gov
- H.R. 326 - Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2019 at Congress.gov
Periodical bibliography
- "On the Agent Orange Trail". New York Times. July 5, 1979.
- "Traces of a Toxic Chemical Found in Vietnam Veterans". New York Times. December 13, 1979.
- "AGENT ORANGE STUDY WON'T BE COMPLETED UNTIL '89, V.A. SAYS". New York Times. September 1, 1982.
- Severo, Richard (September 16, 1982). "V.A. ASSAILED ON DELAYING AGENT ORANGE STUDY". New York Times.
- Lyons, Richard D. (September 25, 1984). "U.S. EMBARKS ON $100 MILLION STUDY OF AGENT ORANGE". New York Times.
- Peterson, Iver (May 19, 1986). "STUDY OF EFFECTS OF AGENT ORANGE ON VETERANS IS STALLED IN DISPUTE". New York Times.
- Schneider, Keith (August 10, 1990). "Agent Orange Study Was Obstructed, Panel Says". New York Times.
- Clymer, Adam (January 31, 1991). "Bill Passed to Aid Veterans Affected by Agent Orange". New York Times.
- Haberman, Clyde (May 11, 2014). "Agent Orange's Long Legacy, for Vietnam and Veterans". New York Times.
