HouseH.R. 10485119th Congress
Minuteman III Health and Safety Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10485 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10485
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to have
a review conducted of the occupational health and safety conditions of
facilities associated with the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic
missile system.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 17, 2026
Mr. Bacon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to have
a review conducted of the occupational health and safety conditions of
facilities associated with the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic
missile system.
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 ``Minuteman III Health and Safety
Act''.
SEC. 2. REVIEW OF THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CONDITIONS OF
OPERATIONAL FACILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LGM-30G
MINUTEMAN III INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health
Affairs, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and
Programs, shall seek to enter into an agreement with the Executive
Officer of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
for a review of the occupational health and safety conditions of
covered operational facilities.
(b) Elements.--The review required by subsection (a) shall include
the following:
(1) An independent review of the methodology and findings
of the Missile Community Cancer Study conducted by the Air
Force Medical Service and Air Force Global Strike Command.
(2) An independent assessment of occupational hazards,
covered toxic substances, and operational activities associated
with the LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic
missile system that accounts for--
(A) enclosed space dynamics;
(B) ventilation inefficiencies; and
(C) limited fresh air exchange rates.
(3) An independent case-controlled retrospective study of
cancer incidence rates among--
(A) Minuteman III missile launch officers and
support personnel; compared to
(B) a group of members of the Air Force with--
(i) a substantially similar demographic
makeup to the group of launch officers and
support personnel included in the study;
(ii) responsibilities that are not
associated with the Minuteman III system; and
(iii) a low potential for occupational
exposure to covered toxic substances, as
determined by Air Force Specialty Code and
occupational duties.
(4) A comparative evaluation of the suitability and
effectiveness of historic versus current year environmental
surveillance policies, procedures, and technologies of the
Department of the Air Force for covered operational facilities
used to detect exposure to covered toxic substances and
occupational hazards, including--
(A) air quality;
(B) groundwater and drinking water contamination;
(C) ventilation systems and particulate matter
accumulation; and
(D) residual contamination associated with confined
operational environments.
(5) An evaluation of the suitability and effectiveness of
policies, procedures, and technologies of the Department of the
Air Force to prevent occupational hazards, and reduce exposure
to covered toxic substances, associated with the Minuteman III
system including--
(A) personal protective equipment;
(B) engineering controls;
(C) environmental surveillance; and
(D) other policies, procedures, and technologies
deemed relevant.
(6) An evaluation of the suitability and effectiveness of
policies, procedures, and technologies of the Department of the
Air Force and the Department of Defense for reporting and
periodic medical screening, testing, and evaluations for
potential exposure to occupational hazards and covered toxic
substances for personnel associated with the Minuteman III
system.
(7) Recommendations of the Executive Officer with respect
to--
(A) Department of Defense actions to ensure that
occupational health and safety conditions of covered
operational facilities--
(i) meet current occupational safety and
national security requirements in effect as of
the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(ii) are applied to the LGM-35A Sentinel
intercontinental ballistic missile system; and
(B) potential modifications to--
(i) the current design and operation of the
LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental
ballistic missile system; and
(ii) the future design and operation of the
Sentinel system.
(c) Information and Clearances.--The Secretary of Defense shall
ensure that personnel of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine supervising the implementation of the agreement required
by subsection (a), or conducting the review required by such
subsection, are granted, in a timely manner, access to the information
and security clearances necessary to carry out such review.
(d) Report Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Executive Officer of the
National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall
submit to the congressional defense committees a report that
includes the findings of the review required by subsection (a).
(2) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified
annex.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Congressional defense committees.--The term
``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.
(2) Covered operational facilities.--The term ``covered
operational facilities'' mean physical structures and work
environments associated with the LGM-30G Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile system, including--
(A) launch control facilities;
(B) launch facilities;
(C) missile alert facilities; and
(D) other associated facilities.
(3) Covered toxic substances.--The term ``covered toxic
substances'' means contaminants and other risk factors that
pose a significant health risk to an individual when inhaled,
ingested, absorbed by, or in close proximity to, the
individual, including--
(A) asbestos;
(B) radiation;
(C) polychlorinated biphenyls;
(D) combustion byproducts associated with burning
classified materials, accelerants, and industrial
solvents;
(E) volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including
VOCs from cleaning and maintenance chemicals;
(F) radon and naturally occurring radioactive
materials in subterranean facilities;
(G) hydrogen cyanide, hydrazine, ethylene glycol,
and sodium chromate;
(H) pesticides and herbicides from facility
perimeters and surrounding agricultural runoff;
(I) noise; and
(J) other chemical compounds or elements associated
with the LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental
ballistic missile system or covered operational
facilities.
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