[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2454 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2454
To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to
increase cooperation on post-traumatic stress disorder research between
the United States and Israel.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 30, 2023
Mr. Waltz (for himself and Mr. Ryan) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to
increase cooperation on post-traumatic stress disorder research between
the United States and Israel.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Israel PTSD
Collaborative Research Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that between
11 and 20 percent of veterans who served in Operation Iraqi
Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom have post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in a given year. In addition, that
figure amounts to about 12 percent of Gulf War veterans and up
to 30 percent of Vietnam veterans.
(2) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that among
women veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, almost
20 percent have been diagnosed with PTSD.
(3) In the United States, it is thought that 70 percent of
Americans have experienced at least one traumatic event in
their lifetime, and approximately 20 percent of those persons
have struggled or continue to struggle with symptoms of PTSD.
(4) Studies show that PTSD has links to homelessness and
substance abuse in the United States. The Department of
Veterans Affairs estimates that approximately 11 percent of the
homeless population are veterans and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration estimates that about 7
percent of veterans have a substance abuse disorder.
(5) Our ally Israel, under constant attack from terrorist
groups, experiences similar issues with Israeli veterans facing
PTSD symptoms. Tel Aviv University's National Center for
Traumatic Stress and Resilience found that 5 to 8 percent of
combat soldiers experience some form of PTSD, and during
wartime, that figure rises to 15 to 20 percent.
(6) Current treatment options in the United States focus on
cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, or eye movement
desensitization and reprocessing, but the United States must
continue to look for more effective treatments. Several leading
Israeli hospitals, academic institutions, and nonprofits
dedicate research and services to treating PTSD.
SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR INCREASED COOPERATION ON POST-TRAUMATIC
STRESS DISORDER RESEARCH BETWEEN UNITED STATES AND
ISRAEL.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the
Secretary of Defense, acting through the Psychological Health and
Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program, should seek to explore
scientific collaboration between American academic institutions and
nonprofit research entities, and Israeli institutions with expertise in
researching, diagnosing, and treating post-traumatic stress disorder.
(b) Grant Program.--The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of State, shall
award grants to eligible entities to carry out collaborative research
between the United States and Israel with respect to post-traumatic
stress disorders. The Secretary of Defense shall carry out the grant
program under this section in accordance with the agreement titled
``Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and
the Government of Israel on the United States-Israel Binational Science
Foundation'', dated September 27, 1972.
(c) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, an entity shall be an academic institution or a nonprofit
entity located in the United States.
(d) Award.--The Secretary shall award grants under this section to
eligible entities that--
(1) carry out a research project that--
(A) addresses a requirement in the area of post-
traumatic stress disorders that the Secretary
determines appropriate to research using such grant;
and
(B) is conducted by the eligible entity and an
entity in Israel under a joint research agreement; and
(2) meet such other criteria that the Secretary may
establish.
(e) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such commitments
and information as the Secretary may require.
(f) Gift Authority.--The Secretary may accept, hold, and
administer, any gift of money made on the condition that the gift be
used for the purpose of the grant program under this section. Such
gifts of money accepted under this subsection shall be deposited in the
Treasury in the Department of Defense General Gift Fund and shall be
available, subject to appropriation, without fiscal year limitation.
(g) Reports.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which an
eligible entity completes a research project using a grant under this
section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that
contains--
(1) a description of how the eligible entity used the
grant; and
(2) an evaluation of the level of success of the research
project.
(h) Termination.--The authority to award grants under this section
shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date on which the
first such grant is awarded.
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