HF 1571

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                             A resolution
  1.2             memorializing Congress to protect the health of 
  1.3             military personnel serving in Iraq. 
  1.4      
  1.5      WHEREAS, the U.S. government is entering the final stages 
  1.6   of military action against the government of Iraq for the joint 
  1.7   purposes of regime change and disarmament of that government; 
  1.8   and 
  1.9      WHEREAS, over 300,000 members of the U.S. Armed Forces have 
  1.10  been deployed and are in the process of returning home; and 
  1.11     WHEREAS, those young men and women are serving bravely, 
  1.12  patriotically, and voluntarily in this war on behalf of the 
  1.13  United States; and 
  1.14     WHEREAS, more than 125 American service personnel have been 
  1.15  killed and unknown numbers have been injured during the course 
  1.16  of that military action; and 
  1.17     WHEREAS, the U.S. Armed Forces have acknowledged the 
  1.18  existence of chemical, biological, and radioactive hazards for 
  1.19  U.S. military personnel present in the war theater both during 
  1.20  and following hostilities; and 
  1.21     WHEREAS, chemical, biological, and/or radioactive exposures 
  1.22  in prior wars involving U.S. military personnel have resulted in 
  1.23  immediate or delayed injury and disease to significant numbers 
  1.24  of those personnel, including the commonly referred to "Gulf War 
  2.1   Syndrome"; and 
  2.2      WHEREAS, experience in those prior wars has shown that 
  2.3   government, military, and medical authorities have often taken 
  2.4   years to study, identify, acknowledge the existence of, and 
  2.5   approve treatment for those injuries and diseases suffered by 
  2.6   those U.S. war veterans; and 
  2.7      WHEREAS, those war-related injuries and diseases have 
  2.8   resulted in considerable and often prolonged physical and mental 
  2.9   suffering, including post-traumatic stress disorders, that can 
  2.10  result in financial hardships, diminished life opportunities, 
  2.11  reduced economic opportunities, and sometimes premature death 
  2.12  for those U.S. war veterans; NOW, THEREFORE, 
  2.13     BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota 
  2.14  that it urges Congress to direct the U.S. Department of Defense 
  2.15  and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to collaborate in 
  2.16  providing all returning war veterans, whether they had acted in 
  2.17  combat or support roles, with thorough medical review and 
  2.18  periodic follow-up screening to expeditiously and accurately 
  2.19  identify any injuries and diseases those troops may have 
  2.20  incurred during or as a result of the war with Iraq. 
  2.21     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Minnesota Secretary of 
  2.22  State is directed to prepare copies of this memorial and 
  2.23  transmit them to the President of the United States, the 
  2.24  President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the 
  2.25  Speaker and the Clerk of the United States House of 
  2.26  Representatives, the chair of the Senate Committee on Armed 
  2.27  Services, the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, the 
  2.28  United States Secretary of Defense, the United States Secretary 
  2.29  of Veterans Affairs, and Minnesota's Senators and 
  2.30  Representatives in Congress.