Sponsor
Elissa Slotkin
Senator · D-MI
Senator · D-MI
The bill would boost military public‑health surveillance and readiness through wastewater monitoring and standardized data systems, but does so at the cost of privacy risks, potential enforcement uses of the data, and required DoD resources while potentially missing newly approved drugs.
Military personnel will gain earlier detection of infectious disease outbreaks and improved health monitoring through wastewater surveillance, helping preserve force readiness and reduce mission disruption.
The pilot can detect and quantify Schedule I/II drug use patterns across installations, enabling targeted prevention, treatment, and support programs for service members.
DoD will develop standardized wastewater data systems and interoperable surveillance technologies across installations, improving coordination among military hospitals and health systems and creating reusable public‑health capacity.
Service members' privacy and civil liberties may be compromised because wastewater surveillance can reveal drug use or health patterns tied to specific installations.
Detected drug-use data could be used for disciplinary or legal actions against service members if the program is applied for enforcement rather than strictly for public‑health interventions.
Implementing the pilot will consume DoD resources and staff time, potentially diverting funds and attention from other defense priorities (costs ultimately borne by taxpayers and military programs).
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires a DoD two-year wastewater surveillance pilot at ≥4 military installations to monitor certain Schedule I/II drug use and infectious disease prevalence, with a post-pilot report to Congress.
Official title: Require the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary shall develop and implement a comprehensive wastewater surveillance system at certain installations of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.
Introduced November 7, 2025 by Elissa Slotkin · Last progress November 7, 2025
Requires the Secretary of Defense to launch a two-year pilot wastewater surveillance program at at least four military installations to test for use of certain Schedule I and II drugs and to track infectious disease prevalence among service members. The pilot must begin within 180 days of enactment, use uniform DoD data systems and appropriate technologies, rely on existing DoD resources where practicable, and include a report to congressional defense committees with findings and recommendations within 90 days after the pilot ends.