Depleted Uranium Study Amendment Passed in House
On May 10th, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Chris Shays (R-CT) introduced H.AMDT.818, an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (HR 5122). The McDermott-Shays amendment calls for the "Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Health and Human Services," to "conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of exposure to depleted uranium munitions." Yesterday, the House passed the amendment in a voice vote and subsequently passed the entire bill. HR 5122, with the McDermott-Shays amendment, now moves on to the Senate.
For you wonky wonks, here is the McDermott-Shays amendment in its entirety:
Amendment to H.R. 5122, as Reported Rep. McDermott has long been concerned about the possible long-term health consequences of exposure to depleted uranium. He has introduced depleted uranium study bills in the last two Congresses, the last of which was HR 2410. Representatives McKinney (D-GA) and Serrano (D-NY) have also introduced depleted uranium bills. All of these bills have languished in the Republican-controlled House. However, with Rep. Shays as co-sponsor, Rep. McDermott managed to get his amendment passed this week. The amendment represents a big step forward for those who believe we need better scientific understanding of the long-term health effects of depleted uranium exposure. Nonetheless, the bill raises some interesting questions:
For those who care about the depleted uranium issue and want to support Rep. McDermott's amendment, I would recommend calling the offices of both of our senators. I believe both Sen. Murray and Sen. Cantwell are ready to support funding for a comprehensive depleted uranium study. In the case of Sen. Cantwell, I would recommend first thanking her for taking a stand on depleted uranium here, and then asking her to support funding for a comprehensive depleted uranium study as part of the Senate version of the Defense Authorization bill. With some strong support from the Washington delegation on this issue and with a little luck, perhaps we'll see the Congress finally require that the DoD sponsor the scientific studies we need to understand better the long-term consequences of using depleted uranium munitions. We owe it to the servicemembers who have put their lives and limbs on the line in Iraq, and we owe it to the Iraqi people themselves. Here is Rep. McDermott's press release on the amendment:
House Passes Rep. McDermott Amendment
Depleted Uranium Study Amendment Passed in House | 10 comments (10 topical)
Depleted Uranium Study Amendment Passed in House | 10 comments (10 topical)
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