HR 4704
ROTOR Act
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Bill overview
The ROTOR Act directs the Department of Defense’s Health Agency to conduct a two-phase study examining cancer rates among military rotary-wing pilots and aviation support personnel. The first phase will assess whether specific cancers are more prevalent or cause higher mortality rates in this group compared to the general population. The second phase will investigate potential causes, including specific toxins, environmental exposures, and service-related factors like burn pits, to determine if military service contributes to increased cancer risk.
Key provisions
- A study will be conducted to determine cancer prevalence and mortality rates in military rotary-wing pilots and aviation support personnel.
- The study will focus on 13 specific cancers: brain, breast, colon and rectal, kidney, lung, melanoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, testicular, urinary bladder, and leukemia.
- The study will analyze data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program and previous DoD studies.
- The second phase will investigate potential causes of cancer, including toxins, environmental exposures, and service-related factors.
- Reports on the findings of both phases will be submitted to Congress.
- Data will be formatted to include breakdowns by race, gender, and age.
- The study includes covered individuals who served on or after February 28, 1961, as aircrew members of rotary-wing aircraft.
- The study will consider exposures to burn pits and contaminated water.
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 4704
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To direct the Director of the Defense Health Agency to conduct a study on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among military rotary wing pilots and aviation support personnel, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the Rotary-wing Operator Toxic Occupational Research Act ROTOR Act
or the
.
The Director of the Defense Health Agency, in coordination with the Directors of the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, shall conduct a study among covered individuals in two phases as provided by this section.
The cancers specified in this paragraph are the following:
Brain cancer.
Breast cancer.
Colon and rectal cancer.
Kidney cancer.
Lung cancer.
Melanoma.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Ovarian cancer.
Pancreatic cancer.
Prostate cancer.
Testicular cancer.
Urinary bladder cancer.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Defense Health Agency shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the findings of the phase of the study under this subsection.
identify any operating environment, including frequencies or electromagnetic fields, in which covered individuals may have received excess exposure to non-ionizing radiation in the course of such operation, including non-ionizing radiation associated with airborne, ground, or shipboard radars; and
the locations of such service; and
The Director of the Defense Health Agency shall format any data resulting from the phase of the study under this subsection consistent with the formatting of data under the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, including by disaggregating such data by race, gender, and age.
In conducting the study under this section, the Director of the Defense Health Agency shall use data from—
any other study previously conducted by the Secretary of a military department that the Director determines relevant for purposes of this section.
In this section:
The term appropriate congressional committees
means—
the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.
covered Armed Forcemeans the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Space Force.
The term covered individual
means any individual who—
receives health care benefits under chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code.
The term Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program
means the program of the National Cancer Institute referred to in section 399B(d)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (40 U.S.C. 280e(d)(1)), or any successor program.