,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eebh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #ag1 #bjah    
,mr4 ,bacon 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,kelly of
 ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,brady of           
,pennsylvania1 ,ms4 ,shea-,porter1 and  
,ms4 ,rosen7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,armed ,services  ,a      
,,bill  ,to direct the ,secretary of    
,defense to submit to ,congress a plan  
for improvements to traumatic brain     
injury and post-traumatic stress        
research4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,speed ,warrior     
,outcomes1 ,research1 ,detection and    
,diagnosis ,act of #bjah or the ,,swordd
 ,act of #bjah4  #b4 ,findings ,congress
 finds the following3  7#a7 ,the        
,department of ,defense and the ,defense
 and ,veterans ,brain ,injury ,center   
estimate that #bb percent of all combat 
casualties from conflicts in ,iraq and  
,afghanistan are brain injuries1        
compared to #ab percent of              

,vietnam-related combat casualties4     
7#b7 ,the complex physiology of the     
human brain presents unique challenges  
in the diagnosis and treatment of these 
injuries1 and places significant        
emotional and financial burdens on      
families living with those who suffer   
from post-traumatic stress and traumatic
 brain injuries4  7#c7 ,despite         
considerable effort and investment      
devoted to the diagnosis and treatment  
of invisible wounds incurred from       
military service during the past decade1
 detection and diagnostic methods1      
therapies1 and outcomes for             
post-traumatic stress and traumatic     
brain injuries are still not reaching   
the military and veteran population fast
 enough4  7#d7 ,accelerating innovation 
and treatment delivery for brain        
disease1 particularly traumatic brain   
injury and post-traumatic stress1 would 
be assisted by policies to improve      
collaboration between the ,department of
 ,defense1 the ,national ,institutes of 

,health1 the ,department of ,veterans   
,affairs1 and medical research          
translation offices at major            
universities4  7#e7 ,existing           
interagency mechanisms1 such as the     
,federal ,interagency ,traumatic ,brain 
,injury ,research and the ,chronic      
,effects ,neurotrama ,consortium1 play  
an important role in enabling           
breakthrough therapies for traumatic    
brain injury and post-traumatic stress  
by sharing science between military and 
nonmilitary patients affected by brain  
disease2 however1 new partnerships1     
policies1 and processes are required to 
speed treatment by more effectively     
combining scientific research1          
commercial technologies1 and private    
equity firm resources to accelerate the 
detection1 diagnosis1 and delivery of   
therapies for military patients4  7#f7  
,within the ,department of ,defense1 the
 ,defense ,health ,agency serves as the 
lead advocate for brain disease         
diagnosis and treatment for members of  

the ,armed ,forces4  #c4 ,plan for      
improvements to traumatic brain injury  
and post-traumatic stress research ,not 
later than #ahj days after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,defense shall submit to  
the congressional defense committees 7as
 defined in section #aja7;a77#af7 of    
title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code7 a     
report containing the following3 7#a7 ,a
 plan--  7,a7 for the ,director of the  
,defense ,health ,agency1 in            
collaboration with the ,national        
,institutes of ,health1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs1 major            
universities1 and private firms1 as     
appropriate1 to accelerate cooperative  
research1 development1 and the fielding 
of breakthrough therapies for traumatic 
brain injury and post-traumatic stress2 
7,b7 describing actions for the         
,director to maximize the coordination  
and use of scientific research efforts  
carried out by other elements of the    
,department of ,defense1 the ,national  

,institutes of ,health1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs1 major            
universities1 and private firms1 as     
appropriate2  7,c7 describing the       
strategy of the ,department of ,defense 
to leverage existing other transaction  
agreements pursuant to section #bcga of 
title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 such  
as the ,medical ,technology ,enterprise 
,consortium of the ,army1 to encourage  
financial collaboration and accelerate  
breakthrough therapies for the treatment
 of traumatic brain injury and          
post-traumatic stress2 and  7,d7        
describing new processes to accelerate  
scientific research and delivery of     
breakthrough therapies for traumatic    
brain injury and post-traumatic stress4 
7#b7 ,recommendations by the ,secretary 
for executive or legislative actions    
necessary to carry out the plan4