Congressman Akin released the following statement:
“We have sent our best and brightest young men and women into harm’s way, and it is our responsibility as a nation to take care of them when they return. There is a growing body of evidence that burn pits have had tragic effects on the health of some of our returning veterans. We need to deal with this problem proactively to ensure that our veterans get the best possible care and support.
“I thank Chairman Miller and Chaiman Buerkle for their support of this legislation and look forward to its consideration by the full House of Representatives.”
BACKGROUND
The Open Burn Pit Registry was introduced by Congressman Akin on November 3, 2011. It currently has 72 bipartisan cosponsors and has been endorsed by the following military and veterans organizations:
Air Force Association (AFA)
American Legion
American Veterans (AMVETS)
Association of the United States Navy (AUSN)
Burn Pits 360
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
Fleet Reserve Association (FRA)
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Military Order of the Purple Heart
National Military Family Association (NMFA)
Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA)
The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA)
Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees (USDR)
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
Text of the bill and cosponsors are available here:http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.112hr3337
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