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H.R. 5026: Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act of 2021

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H.R. 5026: Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-08-13 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-08-13 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Newman, Marie [D-IL-3] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act of 2021

Plain summary

Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act of 2021 This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for specified conditions associated with active duty service in or near the Panama Canal Zone (zone) from January 1, 1958, through the latter of December 31, 1999, or the date on which the last service member departed from duty in the zone. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The presumption of service-connection applies to illnesses listed in the bill (e.g., Hodgkin's disease) or those that (1) have a positive association with exposure to an herbicide agent that is known or presumed to be associated with service in the zone during the specified time period, and (2) become manifest in a veteran who served in the zone during the specified time period and was exposed to an herbicide agent during such service. The Department of Veterans Affairs must prescribe regulations providing for a presumption of service-connection whenever there is a determination that a positive association exists between the exposure to an herbicide agent known or presumed to be associated with service in or near the zone and the occurrence of an illness in humans.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Newman, Marie [D-IL-3] · 16 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY), Thomas P. Tiffany (R-WI), Dina Titus (D-NV), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), André Carson (D-IN), John Garamendi (D-CA)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr5026 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117