WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to express his disappointment after updates to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act were not included in the conference report of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.
The amendment, which passed the Senate 61-37 in July, would expand the coverage area to allow more potential victims, those who lived downwind of above-ground atomic weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s, known as “downwinders,” to file for compensation under RECA.
Don Harrison was one of those who lived downwind.
While the original RECA program only covered individuals who lived in parts of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, this amendment would expand the geographic downwinder eligibility to include then-residents of Idaho, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam. The amendment would extend the program for 19 years, expand the program to include uranium mining workers through 1990 and expand the use of affidavits in determining eligibility claims.
To watch Senator Crapo’s full remarks, click HERE.
