{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-continues-fight-for-resources-for-veterans-family-members-affected-by-exposure-to-toxic-substances", "McCaskill Continues Fight for Resources for Veterans, Family Members Affected by Exposure to Toxic Substances", "2015-11-24", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Continues Fight for Resources for Veterans, Family Members Affected by Exposure to Toxic Substances \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t McCaskill-backed bill instructs VA to centralize research and care for descendants of servicemembers dealing with negative health effects \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, November 24, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has added her support to a bipartisan bill that would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate an existing medical facility to be a national center for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions in the decedents of servicemembers who were exposed to toxic substances during their service.\r\nThe Toxic Exposure Research Act also instructs the Department of Defense to provide the VA with all records that might help in making determinations about health conditions that result from exposure to toxic substances and their multi-generational effects. The Department of Defense is also instructed to declassify documentsother than those that would threaten national securityrelated to any known incident in which members of the Armed Forces were harmed by exposure to a toxic substance.\r\nThe sacrifice our servicemembers whove been exposed to toxic chemicals made doesnt end with them. As we have seen in our courageous Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, it can affect their children as well, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. We cant deal with these cases in a haphazard mannerthis legislation will ensure the research is centralized and these records arent scattered at facilities around the country.\r\nThe bill directs the VA to work with other government agencies to conduct a national outreach and education campaign to servicemembers and their families in order to communicate information on incidents of exposure to toxic substances.\r\nMcCaskill has repeatedly raised questions on World War II-era experiments that exposed U.S. servicemembers to mustard gas, and directly questioned Secretary of Defense Ash Carter about the issue in June. McCaskill has asked all servicemembers who were exposed to mustard gas by these experiments to contact her office so that she and her staff can individually advocate for them as they pursue compensation for their injuries from the VA.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/veterans to read highlights of McCaskills fight for military veterans.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-continues-fight-for-resources-for-veterans-family-members-affected-by-exposure-to-toxic-substances"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4275801368057728, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}