WASHINGTON — Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) announced that two pieces of his legislation passed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was signed by the President.

The Investing in Testing Act will require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the long-term health effects of PFOS/PFOA contamination, and The Protecting Servicemembers from Debt Collectors Act would stop debt collectors from contacting servicemembers’ commanding officers in an attempt to collect payment.

The Investing in Testing Act requires the CDC to conduct a five-year, $7 million federal study into the long-term health effects of PFOS/PFOA exposure.

“We know folks in Newburgh have higher levels of PFOS than the national average, but we don’t really know what that means their health,” said Rep. Maloney. “My bill will get the CDC moving so we can get better science in this area and give residents some idea of what to be looking out for.”

The study will focus on contamination of drinking water, ground water, and other relevant exposure pathways. The study will be overseen by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and be conducted in concert with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, National Institute of Environmental Health and the Department of Defense.

Rep. Maloney originally introduced the legislation in October of 2016, and reintroduced the bill in February in response to water contamination concerns in Newburgh. Although the provision was not initially included in the NDAA, Rep. Maloney and his colleagues wrote a letter to the committee responsible for determining what would be in the final bill and requested that the legislation include a provision to require CDC testing.

The Protecting Servicemembers from Debt Collectors Act requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide clear protections for servicemembers from predatory debt collection practices…

*Original article online at http://hudsonvalleynewsnetwork.com/2017/12/13/two-maloney-bills-signed-law/

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