Public Act 095-0597
 		





SB0597 Enrolled
LRB095 04478 DRJ 24525 b






    AN ACT concerning veterans.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:

 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
National Guard Veterans Exposure to Hazardous Materials Act.
 
    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Depleted uranium" means uranium containing less 
uranium-235 than the naturally occurring distribution of 
uranium isotopes.
    "Eligible member" means a member of the Illinois National 
Guard who served in the Persian Gulf War, as defined in 38 
U.S.C. 101, or in an area designated as a combat zone by the 
President of the United States during Operation Enduring 
Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
    "Military physician" includes a physician who is under 
contract with the United States Department of Defense to 
provide physician services to members of the armed forces.
    "Veteran" means any person honorably discharged from, or 
released under honorable conditions from active service in, the 
armed forces who served as an eligible member.
 
    Section 10. Assistance in obtaining information on 
treatment. On and after October 1, 2007, the Department of 
Veterans' Affairs shall assist any eligible member or veteran 
who (i) has been assigned a risk level I, II, or III for 
depleted uranium exposure by his or her branch of service, (ii) 
is referred by a military physician, or (iii) has reason to 
believe that he or she was exposed to depleted uranium during 
such service, in obtaining information on available federal 
treatment services, including a best practice health screening 
test for exposure to depleted uranium using a bioassay 
procedure involving sensitive methods capable of detecting 
depleted uranium at low levels and the use of equipment with 
the capacity to discriminate between different radioisotopes 
in naturally occurring levels of uranium and the characteristic 
ratio and marker for depleted uranium. No State funds shall be 
used to pay for such tests or other federal treatment services.
 
    Section 15. Certification concerning National Guard 
information. On or before October 1, 2007, the Adjutant General 
shall certify to the General Assembly that members of the 
Illinois National Guard are informed of possible health risks 
associated with exposure to depleted uranium. The 
certification shall apply to both predeployment and 
post-mobilization information activities and post-deployment 
health screening.
 
    Section 20. Task force. 
    (a) There is established a task force within the Department 
of Veterans' Affairs to study the possible health effects of 
the exposure to hazardous materials, including, but not limited 
to, depleted uranium, as they relate to military service. The 
task force shall do the following: 
        (1) Consider initiation of a health registry for 
    veterans returning from Afghanistan, Iraq, or other 
    countries in which depleted uranium or other hazardous 
    materials may be found.
        (2) Develop a plan for an outreach plan  to ensure that 
    veterans and military personnel are informed of available 
    resources.
        (3) Prepare a report for service members concerning 
    potential exposure to depleted uranium and other toxic

    chemical substances and the precautions recommended under 
    combat
and noncombat conditions while in a combat zone.
        (4) Make any
other recommendations the task force 
    considers appropriate.

    (b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

        (1) The Adjutant General or his or her designee.
        (2) The Director of Veterans' Affairs or his or her 
    designee.
        (3) The Director of Public Health or his or her 
    designee.
        (4) Eight members who are members of the General 
    Assembly,
appointed 2 each by the President of the Senate 
    and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives and 2 each 
    by the Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority 
    Leader of the House of Representatives.
        (5) Two members who are veterans with knowledge of or

    experience with exposure to hazardous materials, appointed 
    one each
by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of 
    the
House of Representatives.
        (6) Four members who are physicians or scientists with 
    knowledge
of or experience in the detection or health 
    effects of exposure to
depleted uranium or other hazardous 
    materials, appointed one each
by the President of the 
    Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the
Speaker of 
    the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of 
    the House of Representatives.

    (c) All appointments to the task force shall be made no 
later than
30 days after the effective date of this Act. Any 
vacancy shall be
filled by the appointing authority.

    (d) The members of the task force shall select as 
chairpersons of the
task force one Senator and one 
Representative from among the
members appointed under 
paragraph (4) of subsection (b) of this
Section. The 
chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task

force, which shall be held no later than 60 days after the 
effective
date of this Act.

    (e) Not later than January 31, 2008, the task force shall 
submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the 
General Assembly. The task force shall terminate on the date 
that it submits the report or on January 31, 2008, whichever is 
earlier.
 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.