S-4463               _______________________________________________

                                          SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 8021

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senators Bender, Owen, Fleming, Talmadge, McMullen, Kreidler, Niemi, Moore, Conner, Wojahn, Nelson, Bauer, Johnson and Sutherland

Read first time 1/24/90 and referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The Senate and House of Representatives of the state of Washington are concerned with the health and well-being of the veterans in Washington state; and

          WHEREAS, Certain tactical operations employed during the Vietnam War by the armed forces of the United States caused the use of and subsequent exposure of large numbers of American military, our allies, and civilian personnel to numerous toxic chemical agents, including the dioxin contaminated agent orange; and

          WHEREAS, Public Law 96-151, Public Law 97-72, and Public Law 98-542, were enacted by the Congress of the United States in an effort to determine the possible health impacts from exposure to the dioxins, DDT, arsenic, organophosphate compounds, and other compounds; and

          WHEREAS, More than ten years of scientific research has failed to either prove or disprove the health claims of the veterans who were exposed to the toxic chemical agents; and

          WHEREAS, Title 38 United States code provides for veterans a benefit of the doubt, so that in cases where a reasonable doubt can be demonstrated, that doubt shall be ruled in favor of the veteran; and

          WHEREAS, United States district court judge Thelton E. Henderson ruled that the veterans administration was holding Vietnam veterans to a higher standard than veterans of previous wars; and

          WHEREAS, Health studies conducted by the veterans administration, the United States air force, and federal centers for disease control has shown a 110% increase of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, a 50% increase in lung cancers, and a significant increase of birth defects in the children of Vietnam veterans; and

          WHEREAS, The International Independent Agent Orange Network, "BRAVO" the Brotherhood Rally of all Veterans Organizations, Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc., The American Legion, The Veterans of Foreign Wars, The National Vietnam Veterans Coalition, and The United Veterans of America, among others, with membership in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, have been working for congressional legislation to address the health and financial needs of those veterans and their family members who may have been injured in service to our nation by the toxic agents involved;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists express their support to those Vietnam veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals, and express our concern for the dangers of possible adverse health outcomes, as well as the potential for birth defects to their children or grandchildren and urgently request that the United States government resolve this issue and fulfill its responsibility to all veterans.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George Bush, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.