03/19/2014 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

         HJR 25-VIETNAM VETS: SERVICE-RELATED DISEASES                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:52:12 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  STEDMAN  announced the  consideration  of  HJR 25.  [CSHJR
(MLV)  was before  the  committee.]  He said  it  is the  first                                                               
hearing on the bill. The intent  is to have the sponsor introduce                                                               
the  resolution, take  public testimony,  and set  the resolution                                                               
aside for further review. He noted a zero fiscal note.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
THOMAS BROWN, Staff, Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Alaska                                                                    
State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, presented HJR 25 on behalf of                                                                
the sponsor. He provided background information on HJR 25. In                                                                   
1991 Congress passed the Agent Orange Act, which forced the                                                                     
Veterans Administration (VA) to make a presumption of exposure                                                                  
for any Vietnam Veteran who displayed symptoms related to that                                                                  
herbicide and then to provide them with medical or financial                                                                    
benefits.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
He said in 2002, the VA redefined what made a veteran eligible                                                                  
for those benefits, choosing to limit them to only those                                                                        
veterans who had served on the ground, dismissing all the off-                                                                  
shore Navy and Marine personnel from coverage. This was done                                                                    
without any scientific, medical, or legal reasons. Over the last                                                                
six years, the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the                                                                     
National Academy of Sciences, has issued four separate reports,                                                                 
including one conducted at the request of the VA, all of which                                                                  
concluded that there are no legitimate reasons to exclude                                                                       
members of the Blue Water Navy from receiving benefits related                                                                  
to Agent Orange.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
He said there is currently a bill before Congress, HR-543, the                                                                  
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013, which would                                                                       
reverse this arbitrary act of bureaucracy, returning medical                                                                    
benefits and compensation to the veterans who have earned them.                                                                 
There are 174 co-sponsors from both sides of the isle for HR-                                                                   
543, including Don Young.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. BROWN concluded that HJR 25 is simply a resolution to urge                                                                  
Congress to honor veterans and pass the Blue Water Navy Veterans                                                                
Act of 2013. Washington, D.C. has the obligation to provide                                                                     
veterans with medical and financial assistance they deserve.                                                                    
Should HJR 25 pass, copies will be delivered to the President,                                                                  
Vice President, Congress, and the Secretary of Veterans'                                                                        
Affairs. There are potentially hundreds of veterans in need of                                                                  
assistance due to exposure to toxins.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:55:24 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  MEYER  asked how  many  veterans  this would  affect  in                                                               
Alaska.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. BROWN said there are 609  Alaska veterans who were members of                                                               
the  Blue Water  Navy,  but  it is  unknown  how  many need  this                                                               
assistance.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEDMAN opened public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:56:30 PM                                                                                                                    
JOHN ROSSIE, Executive Director,  Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veteran                                                               
Association,  Littleton, Colorado,  testified in  support of  HJR
.  He described  the association  as an  educational 501(c)(3),                                                               
whose job it is to put  together materials that would educate the                                                               
general  public,  as  well  as   legislators,  about  the  issues                                                               
regarding the change in the VA law.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEDMAN closed public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. BROWN requested that the committee pass the bill.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:58:03 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEDMAN held HJR 25 in committee.