Agent Orange Act of 1991 explained
Shorttitle: | Agent Orange Act of 1991 |
Longtitle: | 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. |
Colloquialacronym: | AOA |
Nickname: | Agent Orange bill |
Enacted By: | 102nd |
Effective Date: | February 6, 1991 |
Public Law Url: | http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-105/pdf/STATUTE-105-Pg11.pdf |
Cite Public Law: | 102-4 |
Title Amended: | 38 U.S.C.: Veterans' Benefits |
Leghisturl: | http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d102:HR00556:@@@R |
Introducedin: | House |
Introducedby: | Sonny Montgomery (D–MS) |
Introduceddate: | January 17, 1991 |
Committees: | House Veterans' Affairs |
Passedbody1: | House |
Passeddate1: | January 29, 1991 |
Passedvote1: | 412-0 |
Passedbody2: | Senate |
Passeddate2: | January 30, 1991 |
Passedvote2: | 99-0, in lieu of |
Signedpresident: | George H. W. Bush |
Signeddate: | February 6, 1991 |
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]
History
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]
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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9]
See also
Chemistry of Defoliants and HerbicidesTitle 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.
Enactment Date | Public Law | U.S. Statute | U.S. Bill | U.S. President |
---|
December 20, 1979 | P.L. 96-151 | | | Jimmy Carter |
November 3, 1981 | P.L. 97-72 | | | Ronald Reagan |
October 24, 1984 | P.L. 98-542 | | | Ronald Reagan |
December 6, 1989 | P.L. 101-201 | | | George H.W. Bush |
December 18, 1989 | P.L. 101-237 | | | George H.W. Bush |
November 2, 1994 | P.L. 103-452 | | | William J. Clinton | |
United States oversight of chemical weapons
- Web site: Veterans: Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam . August 16, 1978 . U.S. GAO ~ CED-78-158 . U.S. Government Accountability Office.
- Web site: Veterans: Agent Orange . February 21, 1980 . U.S. GAO ~ 111614 . U.S. Government Accountability Office.
- Web site: VA'S Agent Orange Examination Program: Actions Needed To More Effectively Address Veterans' Health Concerns . October 25, 1982 . U.S. GAO ~ HRD-83-6 . U.S. Government Accountability Office.
- Web site: H.R. 1961 - Agent Orange Relief Act . March 8, 1983 . Office of History, Art, & Archives . Washington, D.C. . United States House of Representatives.
- Web site: Serum Dioxin in Vietnam-Era Veterans -- Preliminary Report . July 24, 1987 . Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report . Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Web site: Statement on Chemical Weapons - May 13, 1991 . Bush . George H.W. . May 13, 1991 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . 503.
- Web site: Agent Orange: Persisting Problems With Communication of Ranch Hand Study Data and Results . March 15, 2000 . U.S. GAO ~ T-NSIAD-00-117 . U.S. Government Accountability Office.
- Web site: Agent Orange: Actions Needed to Improve Accuracy and Communication of Information on Testing and Storage Locations . November 15, 2018 . U.S. GAO ~ 19-24 . U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Periodical bibliography
- Web site: On the Agent Orange Trail . July 5, 1979 . New York Times.
- Web site: Traces of a Toxic Chemical Found in Vietnam Veterans . December 13, 1979 . New York Times.
- Web site: AGENT ORANGE STUDY WON'T BE COMPLETED UNTIL '89, V.A. SAYS . September 1, 1982 . New York Times.
- Web site: Severo . Richard . V.A. ASSAILED ON DELAYING AGENT ORANGE STUDY . September 16, 1982 . New York Times.
- Web site: Lyons . Richard D. . U.S. EMBARKS ON $100 MILLION STUDY OF AGENT ORANGE . September 25, 1984 . New York Times.
- Web site: Peterson . Iver . STUDY OF EFFECTS OF AGENT ORANGE ON VETERANS IS STALLED IN DISPUTE . May 19, 1986 . New York Times.
- Web site: Schneider . Keith . Agent Orange Study Was Obstructed, Panel Says . August 10, 1990 . New York Times.
- Web site: Clymer . Adam . Bill Passed to Aid Veterans Affected by Agent Orange . January 31, 1991 . New York Times.
- Web site: Haberman . Clyde . Agent Orange's Long Legacy, for Vietnam and Veterans . May 11, 2014 . New York Times.
Reading bibliography
- Book: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236347/ . Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam . The U.S. Military and the Herbicide Program in Vietnam . 1994 . Bethesda, Maryland . National Academies Press.
- Book: [{{google books|-FK9wAEACAAJ|plainurl=y}} Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam ]. January 15, 1994 . National Academies Press . Washington, D.C. . 978-0309075299 . 1013384268 .
- Book: Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure . June 1, 2011 . Bethesda, Maryland . National Academies Press. 24983057 . Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure . 9780309162470 .
- Book: [{{google books|WXbp0uJollwC|plainurl=y}} Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure ]. June 1, 2011 . National Academies Press . Washington, D.C. . 978-0309216210 . 742631788 .
- Book: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK298846/ . Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft . Summary . May 20, 2015 . Bethesda, Maryland . National Academies Press.
- Book: [{{google books|FV7ICQAAQBAJ|plainurl=y}} Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft ]. May 20, 2015 . National Academies Press . Washington, D.C. . 978-0309308939 . 910210790 .
Historical video archive
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform . July 11, 1989 . Agent Orange Studies . Television production . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN).
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform . June 26, 1990 . Agent Orange Study . Television production . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN).
- Mitchell, Jon . May 15, 2012 . Defoliated Island Agent Orange, Okinawa And The Vietnam War . Television production . 47:59 . Okinawa Island, Japan . Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting . Internet Archive.
- Wright, Gerry . June 28, 2019 . Agent Orange Documentary . Television production . 39:49 . Andover, Connecticut . Community Voice Channel . Internet Archive.
External links
- Web site: Agent Orange . VVMF.org . Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
- Web site: Public Health - Agent Orange . Military Exposures ~ Agent Orange . U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs . 2018-11-16 . 2009-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091101154548/http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/ . dead .
Notes and References
- Web site: Statement on Signing the Agent Orange Act of 1991 - February 6, 1991 . Bush . George H.W. . February 6, 1991 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . 114–115.
- Web site: Remarks on Signing the Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 and the Agent Orange Act of 1991 - February 6, 1991 . Bush . George H.W. . February 6, 1991 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . 112–113.
- Web site: Jimmy Carter, Proclamation 4647 - Vietnam Veterans Week, 1979 . March 20, 1979 . The American Presidency Project ~ John Woolley and Gerhard Peters . University of California - Santa Barbara.
- Web site: Vietnam Veterans Week, 1979 . Carter . Jimmy E. . May 30, 1979 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . 972–975.
- Web site: Veterans Health Programs Extension and Improvement Act of 1979 - P.L. 96-151 . December 20, 1979 . 93 Stat. 1092 ~ House Bill 3892 . U.S. Government Publishing Office.
- Web site: H.R. 3892 ~ Veterans Health Programs Extension and Improvement Act of 1979 . May 2, 1979 . P.L. 96-151 ~ 93 Stat. 1092 . Congress.gov.
- Web site: The Vietnam Veteran vs. Agent Orange: The War That Lingers . Hansen . John C. . January 1, 1981 . U.S. GAO . U.S. Government Accountability Office . 32.
- Web site: S. 2096 ~ Agent Orange Study of 1979 . December 20, 1979 . Congress.gov.
- Web site: Veto of Legislation Requiring a Study of Health Effects of Dioxin Exposure: Message to the Senate Returning S. 2096 Without Approval - January 2, 1980 . Carter . Jimmy E. . January 2, 1980 . Internet Archive . Washington, D.C. . National Archives and Records Service . 4–5.