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RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO ENACT S. 3541, H.R. 6659, THE HEALTH CARE FOR BURN PIT VETERANS ACT, OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION THAT WOULD EXPAND VA HEALTH CARE FOR POST-9/11 VETERANS THAT WERE EXPOSED TO BURN PITS

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WHEREAS, burn pits are sites devoted to the open-air combustion of waste; and
WHEREAS, burn pits have been employed by the United States military for decades; and
WHEREAS, millions of veterans joined the United States military following the attacks of September 11, 2001; and
WHEREAS, over 3.5 million of these veterans were exposed to burn pits, which have been linked to a number of adverse health effects, including certain cancers; and
WHEREAS, many of these veterans currently do not have access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care; and
WHEREAS, numerous veterans reside in Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, on February 1st, 2022, Senators Jon Tester (D � Montana) and Jerry Moran (R � Kansas) introduced S. 3541, a bill entitled the Health Care for Burn Pits Veterans Act, for consideration during the 117th Congress; and
WHEREAS, on February 9th, 2022, United States Representative Mike Bost (R � Illinois) introduced H.R. 6695, the companion bill to S. 3541; and
WHEREAS, the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act would expand VA health care for post-9/11 combat veterans�including those suffering from conditions related to toxic exposure; and
WHEREAS, specifically, the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act would extend the period of health care eligibility for combat veterans who served after September 11, 2001, from five years to ten years following discharge; and
WHEREAS, the bill also includes measures to improve training on toxic exposures for VA employees, mandate clinical toxic exposure screenings, and bolster federal research on the effects of toxic exposures; and
WHEREAS, this Board wishes to support the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act or similar legislation that would expand VA health care for post-9/11 veterans that were exposed to burn pits,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the United States Congress to enact S. 3541, H.R. 6659, the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act, or similar legislation that would expand VA health care for post-9/11 veterans that were exposed to burn pits.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to Senator Jon Tester, Senator Jerry Moran, Representative Mike Bost, and the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the legislative action set forth in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2022 Federal Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board.