Sponsors (2)
The bill formally acknowledges and educates the public about historical harms from the 1945 detonation via three plaques, at the cost of modest federal expenditures and reduced public visibility for plaques placed on active military sites.
Downwinder communities (including rural and tribal residents) and visitors will receive formal public recognition of the health harms from the July 16, 1945 detonation through the installation of three plaques.
Park visitors, students, and the broader public will gain increased historical education and awareness about the 1945 detonation and its impacts from plaques placed at White Sands National Park, White Sands Missile Range, and Holloman Air Force Base.
Taxpayers and federal agencies will incur modest costs and staff time to design, produce, and install the plaques, paid from federal resources.
Some members of the public—especially those unable to access active military installations—will have limited ability to see plaques placed on bases, reducing visibility of the recognition and educational value.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires three commemorative plaques honoring New Mexico Downwinder communities to be obtained and placed at specified sites within one year of enactment.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Secretary of the Interior to obtain and place plaques honoring the Downwinder communities of New Mexico, who suffered detrimental health effects as a result of exposure to radioactive fallout.
Introduced July 2, 2025 by Gabriel Vasquez · Last progress July 2, 2025
Requires the Secretaries of the Army, the Air Force, and the Interior to obtain and place three honorific plaques commemorating Downwinder communities in New Mexico who experienced radioactive fallout after the July 16, 1945 detonation. Each Secretary must obtain one plaque and install it at a specified publicly accessible location in New Mexico within one year of enactment.