Ill STAT. 1888 PUBLIC LAW 105-85 —NOV. 18, 1997 (e) SCHEDULE. —(1) The Secretary shall ensure that the study is commenced not later than January 1, 1998, and is completed not later than six months after the date on which it is commenced. (2) The Secretary shall submit the report required under subsection (d) not later than 30 days after the completion of the study. SEC. 1046. REPORTS ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PROCEDURES FOR INVESTIGATING MILITARY AVIATION ACCIDENTS AND FOR NOTIFYING AND ASSISTING FAMILIES OF VICTIMS. (a) REPORT ON AVIATION ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION PROCE- DURES. —Not later than February 1, 1998, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the advisability of establishing a process for investigating Department of Defense aviation accidents that combines accident investigation with safety investigation into a single, public investigation process, similar to the accident investigation process of the National Transportation Safety Board. The report shall include a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of adopting such an investigation process. (b) REPORT ON FAMILY ASSISTANCE. —Not later than April 2, 1998, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on assistance provided by the Department of Defense to families of casualties among military and civilian personnel of the department in the case of aviation accidents involving such personnel. The report shall include— (1) a discussion of the adequacy and effectiveness of the family notification procedures of the Department of Defense, including the procedures of the military departments; and (2) a description of the assistance provided to members of the families of such personnel. (c) REPORT BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSPECTOR GENERAL.— Not later than December 1, 1997, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense shall review the procedures of the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board for providing information and assistance to members of families of casualties of nonmilitary aviation accidents and shall submit to Congress a report on the review. The report shall include a discussion of the following: (1) Designation of an experienced non-profit organization to provide assistance in meeting the needs of families of accident casualties. (2) An assessment of the system and procedures for providing families with information on accidents and accident investigations. (3) Protection of members of families from unwanted solicitations relating to the accident. (4) A recommendation regarding whether the procedures reviewed (including the matters discussed under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3)) or similar procedures should be adopted by the Department of Defense for use by the Department in providing information and assistance to members of families of casualties of military aviation accidents and, if the recommendation is not to adopt such procedures, a detailed justification for the recommendation. (d) UNCLASSIFIED FORM OF REPORTS. — The reports under this section shall be submitted in unclassified form.
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