HR 303 — A Resolution designating the month of October 2025 as "Agent Orange Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   2262

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 303
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY MATZIE, PIELLI, HARKINS, VITALI, CONKLIN, McNEILL,
        RABB, HADDOCK, HOHENSTEIN, RIVERA, GUZMAN, HILL-EVANS,
        HOWARD, WAXMAN, GALLAGHER, SANCHEZ, PICKETT, M. MACKENZIE,
        COOK, MENTZER, JAMES, COOPER AND GILLEN, SEPTEMBER 3, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, SEPTEMBER 4, 2025


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating the month of October 2025 as "Agent Orange Awareness
 2      Month" in Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, The Vietnam War was the longest conflict in American
 4   history in which the government of South Vietnam and its primary
 5   ally, the United States, fought against the communist government
 6   of North Vietnam and a South Vietnamese guerrilla force,
 7   commonly known as the Viet Cong; and
 8      WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, American servicepersons
 9   displayed heroic courage and determination under some of the
10   most difficult circumstances ever encountered in United States
11   military history; and
12      WHEREAS, Approximately 498,000 men and women from this
13   Commonwealth served during the Vietnam War era, an estimated
14   172,000 of whom directly participated in the war; and
15      WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
16   Veterans Affairs, the United States military developed Agent
 1   Orange and other herbicide combinations for use in combat
 2   operations to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that
 3   provided enemy cover; and
 4         WHEREAS, The name Agent Orange comes from the orange
 5   identifying stripes that were used on the 55-gallon drums in
 6   which the herbicide was stored; and
 7         WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
 8   Veterans Affairs, approximately 19 million gallons of Agent
 9   Orange and other herbicides were used during the Vietnam War;
10   and
11         WHEREAS, Thousands of Vietnam War veterans have died due to
12   the use of Agent Orange; and
13         WHEREAS, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs and
14   Federal law provide for the presumption that certain diseases
15   are a direct result of exposure to Agent Orange and other
16   herbicides used during the Vietnam War; and
17         WHEREAS, Vietnam-era sailors who served on ships in open
18   waters around Vietnam were exposed to high levels of chemical
19   herbicide through their ships' water systems; and
20         WHEREAS, Agent Orange, which was used to clear trees and
21   plants in Vietnam, also caused a variety of health problems in
22   veterans, including those who served on boats; and
23         WHEREAS, These veterans are commonly referred to as Blue
24   Water Navy Veterans; and
25         WHEREAS, Blue Water Navy Veterans who served as far as 12
26   nautical miles from the shore of Vietnam or had service in the
27   Korean Demilitarized Zone are presumed to have been exposed to
28   herbicides such as Agent Orange; and
29         WHEREAS, Vietnam-era veterans may be entitled to service
30   connection for any conditions related to herbicide exposure

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 1   under the Federal Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive
 2   Toxics Act of 2022; and
 3      WHEREAS, The Federal Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of
 4   2019 extended the presumption of herbicide exposure such as
 5   Agent Orange to veterans who served in the offshore waters of
 6   the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7,
 7   1975; and
 8      WHEREAS, An estimated 420,000 to 560,000 Vietnam-era veterans
 9   may be considered Blue Water Navy Veterans and it is reasonable
10   to infer that this number includes a significant number of
11   Pennsylvanians who deserve recognition and resources for their
12   service and sacrifice; and
13      WHEREAS, Thousands of veterans still suffer from cancer and
14   other health disorders caused by exposure to Agent Orange; and
15      WHEREAS, Veterans with health problems caused by Agent Orange
16   live with the knowledge that genetic damage resulting from their
17   exposure to Agent Orange may be handed down through generations;
18   therefore be it
19      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
20   month of October 2025 as "Agent Orange Awareness Month" in
21   Pennsylvania.




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