H.R. 8852

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8852 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8852

To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the 
National Institutes of Health to design and implement a program to 
study the health effects of nuclear radiation on women, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 15, 2026

Mr. Lawler (for himself and Mr. Levin) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Director of the 
National Institutes of Health to design and implement a program to 
study the health effects of nuclear radiation on women, and for other 
purposes.

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 ``Radiation Health Research Act''.

SEC. 2. HEALTH EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR RADIATION ON WOMEN.

Part F of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 287d 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 486C. HEALTH EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR RADIATION ON WOMEN.

``(a) Authority To Conduct Program.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations, the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of the 
Office, (in this section referred to as the `Director') shall design 
and implement a program to study the health effects of nuclear 
radiation on women.
``(b) Program Requirements.--In designing and implementing the 
program, the Director shall--
``(1) specifically examine the health effects of nuclear 
radiation on pregnant women, adolescent girls, and pre-
adolescent girls;
``(2) provide for longitudinal monitoring of individuals 
participating in the program over a period of not less than 10 
years;
``(3) provide opportunities for collaborative, interagency, 
multidisciplinary, and innovative research;
``(4) ensure that the methodology and scope of the program 
are consistent with the best available scientific evidence; and
``(5) ensure that the program is conducted in a 
confidential manner to protect the privacy rights of the 
individuals participating in the program.
``(c) Consultation.--The Director shall carry out the program in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
Secretary of Energy, the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, 
and other Federal and non-Federal stakeholders.
``(d) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Director shall 
submit to Congress a report containing--
``(1) a summary of the results of the program, including 
the findings of the Director;
``(2) an assessment of the status of existing research on 
the health effects of nuclear radiation on women and current 
knowledge gaps; and
``(3) recommendations for a national strategy to minimize 
any adverse health effects of nuclear radiation on women, 
including through the use of a public education campaign.''.
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