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Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

Public Law 116-23 · H.R. 299 · 116th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jun 25, 2019 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA-41)

Cosponsors (333): Rep. Joe Courtney,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 410 yea, 0 nay410–0
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

This bill addresses certain health benefit and home loan programs for veterans.

Specifically, the bill extends the presumption of service-connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide (e.g., Agent Orange) exposure to veterans who served (1) offshore of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, or (2) in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific disabilities or diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.

The bill extends eligibility for health care, vocational training and rehabilitation, and monetary allowance to children with spina bifida who have at least one veteran parent who may have been exposed to an herbicide agent while serving in Thailand between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must report on the Follow-up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War and Gulf War Era Veterans.

Additionally, the bill revises the VA home loan guaranty program to adjust loan fee rates and eliminate the limit on the amount of a loan for which the VA may provide a guaranty of 25%. Under current law, these loan guarantees are subject to a limit on loan size determined by Freddie Mac.

The bill removes the cap on a direct housing loan amount that may be made to a Native American veteran purchasing a home located on tribal land held in federal trust.

The bill also waives loan fees for active duty Purple Heart recipients.

The VA shall permit a VA-approved appraiser to make a housing loan appraisal based solely on information gathered by a person with whom the appraiser has entered into an agreement for such services.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 410 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

410 yea0 nay21 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(224)

Republicans who voted yea(186)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 202 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Veterans' Affairs Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

3 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 203Related bill

    Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

  • S. 576Related bill

    Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act of 2019

  • S. 1195Related bill

    Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.

  1. Jun 25, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-23.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jun 19, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jun 13, 2019FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Jun 12, 2019FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  6. May 15, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  7. May 14, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 410 - 0 (Roll no. 203).House roll call 203
  9. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  10. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  11. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 299.
  12. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  13. FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  14. May 10, 2019CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 36.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 116-58.
  16. May 8, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  18. May 1, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
  20. Feb 1, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
  21. Jan 8, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  22. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.