Renewing our PACT Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- S. 4554
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-02T20:50:47Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends title 5 of the United States Code to establish a legal presumption that certain diseases are connected to employment for specific civilian federal employees exposed to toxic burn pits during overseas contingency operations. The goal is to ease access to workers' compensation benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act by reducing the need for employees to prove causation in individual cases.
Key Provisions
- Creates a new section 8143c in title 5, United States Code, that defines "eligible employees" as individuals from the Departments of Justice, State, Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture, or the intelligence community, or federal law enforcement officers, who performed duties for at least 30 total days in a country or territory during a U.S. contingency operation on or after August 2, 1990.
- Establishes a presumption that listed diseases are deemed incurred in or aggravated by employment, even without medical records from the employment period.
- Bases the initial list of diseases on those specified in 38 U.S.C. 1120(b) for veterans and requires the Secretary of Labor to add new diseases by direct final rule within 90 days after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs adds them.
- Applies the presumption to compensation claims filed on or after the date of enactment.
- Requires the Secretary of Labor to submit a report within one year on implementation progress, including the number of eligible employees.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a new statutory presumption of employment connection for specific diseases, shifting the burden from employees proving causation to the government accepting the link for listed conditions.
- Aligns federal civilian workers' compensation rules with veterans' benefits under the PACT Act by mirroring disease lists and update mechanisms.
- Limits additions to the disease list to those already adopted for veterans, preventing independent expansion by the Department of Labor.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: The Department of Labor would process more claims under the presumption, potentially increasing administrative workload and benefit payouts; agencies employing eligible staff (such as Defense, State, and Homeland Security) may face higher workers' compensation costs.
- Citizens: Expands access to benefits for affected federal civilian employees and their survivors, similar to protections for veterans.
- International relations: No direct provisions, though the bill references contingency operations abroad.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Eligible federal civilian employees and their families from the listed departments and intelligence elements.
- The Department of Labor, which administers the program and maintains the disease list.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs, due to the linkage for disease additions.
- Congressional committees overseeing implementation and reports.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legally, the bill modifies the Federal Employees' Compensation Act by creating a rebuttable presumption that streamlines claims for covered diseases.
- No explicit constitutional concerns are addressed in the text; the changes fall within Congress's authority to regulate federal employee benefits.
- Politically, the measure extends veterans-style presumptions to civilians, with the short title referencing a specific individual case.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2026-05-18: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Kenya Merritt Renewing our Promise to Address Chemical Toxicity Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-18 — PDF (5 pages)