WASHINGTON, DC (March 14, 2019) – Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the leading voice of the Post-9/11 generation of veterans, is proud to announce that U.S. Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY) has become a cosponsor of the Burn Pits Accountability Act (S. 191/H.R. 663), to improve the tracking and reporting of service members’ exposure to burn pits and airborne toxins during their deployments. Rep. Morelle became a co-sponsor during IAVA’s Storm The Hill – IAVA’s quarterly advocacy push in Washington, DC.

Congressman Morelle has represented New York’s 25th District since 2018. He currently serves on House Rules, Education and Labor, and Budget Committees.

“Per our most recent IAVA Member Survey, 82% of IAVA members report being exposed to burn pits and 84% of those exposed report symptoms,” said IAVA Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Butler. “According to the VA, about 3.5 million service members and veterans are eligible for enrollment in the VA’s Burn Pit and Toxic Exposures Registry yet only 169,000 are enrolled. We want to thank Rep. Morelle in helping us by signing onto this important piece of legislation.”

The Burn Pits Accountability Act, sponsored by Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Brian Mast (R-FL), now has 134 House cosponsors, and 31 in the Senate. The bill is among IAVA’s Big Six priorities for 2019, including Suicide Prevention, Government Reform, #SheWhoBorneTheBattle, #DefendTheGIBill, and #CannabisForVets.