HR 5188 Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.
To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish blast safety officer positions in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish blast safety officer positions in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
Summary
The bill requires the Department of Defense to establish blast safety officer positions across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force by September 30, 2026. These officers would monitor and limit soldiers' exposure to blast and overpressure during live-fire and explosive exercises, brief troops on health risks beforehand, oversee personal protective equipment, investigate blast incidents, and maintain exposure records. Each special mission unit in each military branch would be assigned a blast safety officer. Officers would need to obtain and maintain blast safety certification and may order exercises to stop if exposure exceeds safe levels.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Ro Khanna’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Ro Khanna → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Sep 8, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services. · house
- Sep 8, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 8, 2025
Mr. Khanna introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish blast safety officer positions in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF BLAST SAFETY OFFICER POSITIONS.
(a) Establishment.—Not later than September 30, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall establish blast safety officer positions in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.
(b) Duties.—Duties of a blast safety officer shall include the following, in accordance with standards established pursuant to section 735 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note):
(1) Monitoring and mitigating blast and overpressure exposure to members of such Armed Forces during live-fire or explosive exercises, including breaching exercises. A blast safety officer may order the cessation of such an exercise if exposure exceeds safe thresholds.
(2) Briefing members of such Armed Forces, before an exercise, regarding the health risks of blast exposure and mitigation protocols (including minimum safe distances).
(3) Overseeing the use of personal protective equipment and wearable sensors by such members during such an exercise.
(4) Investigating blast overpressure incidents, reporting findings, and coordinating with health care providers to address risks to the health of affected members.
(5) Maintaining blast overpressure exposure logs to support future mitigation.
(6) Coordinating with range safety officers and personnel.
(c) Assignments.—The Secretary of a military department concerned shall assign a blast safety officer to each special mission unit in each such Armed Forces.
(d) Training; Certification.—A blast safety officer shall receive training and maintain a certification in blast safety. <all>
Comments