Legislature(2013 - 2014)BUTROVICH 205
04/03/2014 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
Audio | Topic |
---|---|
Start | |
HJR25 | |
SB209 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ | HJR 25 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | SB 209 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | HB 366 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED |
HJR 25-VIETNAM VETS: SERVICE-RELATED DISEASES CHAIR DYSON announced the consideration of HJR 25. [CSHJR 25(MLV) was before the committee.] 9:02:19 AM REPRESENTATIVE GABRIELLE LEDOUX, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of HJR 25, paraphrased the following sponsor statement: HJR 25 is a step towards fixing a bureaucratic lapse in our treatment of Vietnam veterans. Currently only soldiers who had "boots on the ground" during that conflict are eligible for benefits related to their exposure to Agent Orange. HJR 25 urges the United States Congress to pass HR 543, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013. HR 543 amends current compensation in health care regulations to include coverage of the service members who served in the waters of Vietnam, many of whom were also exposed to Agent Orange, a fact not recognized by the federal government; these brave men and women served their country honorably and we need to remind Congress of its responsibility to our veterans. 9:04:03 AM THOMAS BROWN, Staff, Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided background information on HR 543 as follows: In 2002, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) made an administrative policy shift and changed their regulations concerning Agent Orange exposure, it was an arbitrary shift with no medical or scientific basis. Urging the passage of HR 543 would return the compensation that these soldiers earned during the service for their country. The bill enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, 174 co-sponsors including our own Don Young. In Alaska, we have up to 609 Blue Water Navy veterans that could be eligible for treatment for exposure to Agent Orange and countless thousands of others across the country. The Blue Water Navy, incidentally, is how Navy and Marine personnel stationed in the offshore waters of Vietnam are referred to as opposed to the Brown Water Navy of the inland waters. Should this legislature pass HJR 25, copies of the resolution would be distributed to our congressional delegation, congressional leadership, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Vice President, and President Obama. In conclusion, I would just like to say that when Washington doesn't do the right thing, it is our responsibility to remind them and fulfill their debt to our veterans. SENATOR GIESSEL asked if coverage pertains to soldiers who were not on the ground in Vietnam, but were exposed to Agent Orange because they flew in and brought out injured soldiers covered in Agent Orange. MR. BROWN replied that was one of the circumstances. Others include medical personnel who were exposed when they treated exposed soldiers and Navy personnel stationed offshore who cleaned exposed equipment. 9:06:34 AM CHAIR DYSON said he did not realize that Agent Orange was transferrable from person-to-person. MR. BROWN replied it's more through physical contact from one contaminated item to another. CHAIR DYSON asked if exposure was from chemical contact and not from a germ. MR. BROWN answered correct. CHAIR DYSON asked Representative LeDoux if she had seen Senator Wielechowski's amendments. REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX replied she may have seen one. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he had one amendment to present. CHAIR DYSON asked which version of the bill was before the committee. MR. BROWN answered version U, [28-LS1350\U]. 9:08:13 AM RIC DAVIDGE, Chairman, Government Affairs, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 904-Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, introduced himself. CHAIR DYSON asked Mr. Davidge if he had seen Senator Wielechowski's amendment. MR. DAVIDGE answered yes. He explained that he had worked very closely with Senator Wielechowski's staff and was very supportive of the Blue Water Navy resolution. CHAIR DYSON noted Mr. Davidge's history and called attention to his tireless advocacy of veterans. MR. DAVIDGE offered the following testimony: My name is Rick Davidge, I am chairman of Government Affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America-Alaska, formally National Chairman of Government Affairs. Representative LeDoux and Senator Wielechowski both have copies of our national legislative agenda. The second highest national priority for Vietnam Veterans of America is what we call addressing the legacy of toxic exposures, Agent Orange and dioxin. Unfortunately not all wounds of war are immediately obvious, either in immediate service or in a very brief of time. In fact, we know that medical symptoms can begin to develop after decades of exposure. Most service members don't even know they're being exposed because they are not unaware of the fact that there is some sort of toxic material that they are in contact with. We have specific evidence of pieces of equipment, including trucks, tanks, planes, helicopters, etc., all have been brought back to the United States where it had been cleaned by people in the United States who never went to Vietnam, but came down with toxic exposure as a result of their exposure to the pieces of Agent Orange on these pieces of equipment. As a medic in Vietnam in 1965 with the First Cav., we were totally unaware of the existence of Agent Orange, obviously it was highly classified. One of the things that we are trying to do in showing the Blue Water Navy problem, and by the way, we have a number of Alaska Vietnam veterans who have received six figure checks as a result of their exposure which has helped them pay for their extraordinary medical demands, all of which are currently being paid for by private insurance, the state, and municipal health care programs because they previously did not qualify for these considerations. 9:10:46 AM MR. DAVIDGE continued to explain Agent Orange's impact on Vietnam veterans: One of the other concerns that we have, this is relatively new over the last five to ten years, is we have learned that there is an additional legacy, particularly of dioxin in the Agent Orange exposure were the progeny of Vietnam vets who were exposed were effected by Agent Orange in that it changes the genetic matrix of male sperm and then causes significant birth defects. The addition of Senator Wielechowski's resolution to this resolution will bring that issue as well forward and initiate a national study by the VA. You would think with the enormous amount of money the VA has to research these kinds of things, their attention on toxic exposures is practically non-existent. We have been screaming at the VA and at the Department of Defense (DOD) to start paying better attention to the wounds created by toxic exposures. Now the beginning of the current war there was some effort to do that by DOD and kept records of people who were exposed to burn-pits and these kind of things. But in the last few years, six years, that has basically stopped so we don't have that. Trying to prove that you are were exposed is very difficult. The most effective way we have found to prove it is using the internet where we have a veteran, particularly an Alaskan veteran that we worked with who came forward, who has had leukemia for a very long time. Leukemia is one of the most prominent illnesses as a result of toxic exposure to Agent Orange dioxin. We put everything that we could find from him, including pictures he took while in service, put it on the internet, and we were able to put together a couple of affidavits from other people who swore that in fact this gentleman was exposed. MR. DAVIDGE noted that this past week he became aware of a man whose son championed his effort and has just now been recognized for Agent Orange exposure. He noted that the man's son used the same kind of approach by using the internet to access pictures, testimony, and affidavits from other people. 9:12:59 AM He continued: The state of Alaska, in municipal health care and private health insurance, are the ones that have been paying for the results of these toxic exposures; these are direct results of service and particularly in many cases, combat. The federal government has an extraordinary moral and ethical obligation to recognize these wounds of war and begin to pay attention to them. I am very delighted that Senator Wielechowski and my friend Gabrielle LeDoux came together and put this together because this actually makes a stronger statement from the people of Alaska to Congress and to this Administration to recognize Blue Water Navy and pay attention to the legacy of Agent Orange. We have now three generations of extraordinary birth defects as a result of this exposure. Mr. Chairman, there is a personal note, you have been a long champion of veterans in this state and we salute you sir. CHAIR DYSON asked him to verify that the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) has been taking care of some of the toxic exposure issues with some of Alaska's vets even without the VA's support. MR. DAVIDGE answered yes. 9:15:18 AM CHAIR DYSON remarked that he is disappointed with the VA's reluctance nationwide to treat veterans who present themselves with issues that are related to war. He asserted that the federal government is trying to draw-the-curtain-down on Vietnam veterans. MR. DAVIDGE replied yes and referred to a book, "Waiting for an Army to Die." He noted Agent Orange's effect through the progeny of children and grandchildren. 9:17:00 AM JOHN PAUL ROSSIE, Executive Director, Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association (BWNVVA), Littleton, Colorado, explained that BWNVVA has been helping to get the information disseminated to the public and legislators regarding HR 543. He summarized that BWNVVA is trying to right an "administrative wrong" that was put into place. 9:21:18 AM CHAIR DYSON asked if there were people in the room that wanted to testify on HJR 25. He asked Representative LeDoux if she supports Senator Wielechowski's amendment. REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX answered yes. CHAIR DYSON solicited motion to move Amendment 1. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI moved Amendment 1. 9:21:53 AM CHAIR DYSON found no objection and announced that Amendment 1 was adopted. He noted that resolutions submitted to the U.S. Congress are not ignored and ultimately act as an endorsement from the people of Alaska. 9:23:40 AM SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report HJR 25, 28-LS1350\U as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. 9:24:00 AM CHAIR DYSON announced that without objection, SCS CSHJR 25(STA) has passed from the Senate State Affairs Committee with individual recommendation and attached zero fiscal note.