HR8852Referred to Committee

Radiation Health Research Act

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-05-15
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
HR
Type

Sponsor

Michael Lawler
Michael Lawler
Republican · NY · Representative
Votes with party: 92.5% (544 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/L000599

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

2026-05-15

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Plain-English Summary

The federal government would create a research program to study how nuclear radiation affects women's health, filling a gap in current medical knowledge since most past radiation studies focused on men. The National Institutes of Health would design and run this program to better understand the unique health risks women face from radiation exposure, which could improve medical treatments and safety guidelines for female patients and workers. This affects women in medical fields, nuclear industry workers, and patients who receive radiation-based medical treatments.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

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