Nellie Pou (D-NJ)
Kenya Merritt Renewing our PACT Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with 3 Republican cosponsors · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Kenya Merritt Renewing our PACT Act of 2026," aims to amend title 5 of the United States Code. It seeks to improve access to workers' compensation for civilian Federal employees who were exposed to toxic burn pits. The legislation establishes a presumption that certain diseases were caused or aggravated by employment for specific eligible employees. These employees must have served at least 30 total days in a country during a U.S. contingency operation on or after August 2, 1990. The bill also outlines how the list of covered diseases will be maintained and updated.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive?
The bill aligns the disease list for civilian employees with the list used for veterans to ensure consistent coverage for those exposed to burn pits.
- Scored +4
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
While primarily for civilians, the bill uses the veterans' disease list to establish benefits for those exposed to similar hazards.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Presumption of Disease Connection: For eligible employees filing disability or death claims, certain diseases will be deemed to have been caused or aggravated by their employment, even if there is no record of the disease during their employment period (Section 2(b)).
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Expanded Coverage for Federal Employees: The bill provides benefits to a specific group of "eligible employees" including those from the Department of Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, the intelligence community, or Federal law enforcement officers (Section 2(a)(2)).
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Alignment with Veterans' Benefits: The list of diseases considered to be caused by exposure aligns with the list of diseases specified in title 38, ensuring consistency with existing standards (Section 2(c)(1)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Specific Service Requirements: To be considered an "eligible employee," an individual must have carried out job responsibilities for not fewer than 30 total days in a country or territory while the United States was conducting a contingency operation (Section 2(a)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — The bill aligns the disease list for civilian employees with the list used for veterans to ensure consistent coverage for those exposed to burn pits.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — While primarily for civilians, the bill uses the veterans' disease list to establish benefits for those exposed to similar hazards.
- 7/20/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/27/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Nick LaLotaRepublican · New York
Celeste MaloyRepublican · Utah