Media

Representative Smucker Cosponsors IAVA-Backed Burn Pits Legislation

March 14, 2019
Press

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. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) 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. Smucker became a co-sponsor during IAVA’s Storm The Hill – a quarterly advocacy push in Washington, DC.
 
Before coming to Congress in 2016, Rep. Smucker owned and operated the Smucker Company for 25 years and served two terms in the Pennsylvania Senate. He now serves on the House Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Education and the Workforce 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. I count myself among the 84%,” 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. Smucker 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 2018, including Suicide Prevention, Government Reform, #SheWhoBorneTheBattle, #DefendTheGIBill, and Medicinal Cannabis Research.