Summary

Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to adjust the law's geographic wording that defines who qualifies as a “downwinder,” fixes the program's expiration date to December 31, 2030, and requires the Attorney General to report on outreach to people newly eligible under the amended language within 180 days of enactment. The bill does not add new funding, create new agencies, or specify new benefit amounts; it makes targeted textual changes, sets a fixed deadline, and requires an outreach report.

Key Points

• Adjusts RECA's geographic/qualifying language to change who may be considered a covered "downwinder."
• Replaces a relative expiration tied to a prior Act with a fixed expiration date of December 31, 2030.
• Requires the Attorney General to report to congressional committees within 180 days on outreach to newly eligible individuals.
• Does not appropriate funds, create new programs, or list specific benefit amounts.
• Changes are primarily textual and narrow; operational impacts depend on how agencies interpret the revised geography/eligibility language.
• Could increase the number of people eligible to apply for RECA benefits, potentially raising administrative workload.
• No new deadlines for claims processing or new substantive eligibility criteria are explicitly added beyond the text edits.
• Imposes an administrative reporting task on the Department of Justice but no funding to support it.

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