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Expands the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to add a new claims category for harms from Manhattan Project waste and to broaden benefits for people harmed by uranium mining and atmospheric nuclear testing. It creates new eligibility rules, adds specific worker categories (for example, core drillers and ore transporters), allows certain affidavits as proof of exposure, establishes grant and research authorities, and requires a DOE cooperative agreement to support health and environmental work at the Amchitka, Alaska site by September 30, 2025. Also directs federal agencies to administer payments and programs (Attorney General, HHS/NIEHS), and requires a GAO study on unmet medical benefits. The bill authorizes payments to living claimants and survivors and adds programmatic and administrative steps to process expanded claims and support research and site work.
Short title: This title may be cited as the "Radiation Exposure Compensation Expansion Act."
Insertion into the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of a new section 5A titled "Claims relating to Manhattan Project waste."
Filing requirement: A claim for compensation must be filed with the Attorney General by the individual who is the claimant or by an authorized agent if the individual is deceased or incapacitated. Authorized agents include an executor of the estate or a legal guardian or conservator.
Eligibility — physical presence and disease: To be eligible, the individual (or authorized agent) must show the individual was physically present in an affected area for at least 2 years after January 1, 1949, and contracted a specified disease after that period.
Attorney General verifications: The Attorney General must certify that the identity of the individual (and authorized agent, if any) is not fraudulent or misrepresented, and must determine the claimant has satisfied the Act's applicable requirements.
Who is affected and how:
Individuals directly affected: Manhattan Project workers and contractors, people who lived, worked, or were exposed near Manhattan Project waste sites, uranium mine workers (including new categories such as core drillers and ore transporters), and people exposed by atmospheric nuclear testing. Living claimants and survivors may become eligible for statutory payments and benefits under the expanded definitions.
Families and communities: Families of exposed workers and survivors may receive survivor payments; Alaskan and other local communities near affected sites (for example, Amchitka) will see targeted federal support for health and environmental work. Tribal and local populations near contamination sites may gain access to payments and research programs.
Federal agencies and programs: The Attorney General will face increased claims adjudication workload; HHS/NIEHS will administer research grant programs; DOE must manage and award a cooperative agreement for Amchitka site work; GAO will perform a mandated study. These duties will increase administrative demands and likely require funding, staffing, and rulemaking.
Health and research sectors: New grant funding and research priorities may expand scientific study of radiation-related health effects and unmet medical needs for exposed populations.
Fiscal and administrative effects: Expanding eligibility and easing proof requirements will likely increase the number of claims and program costs. The bill authorizes program actions and agreements but implementation funding would normally come from appropriations or existing agency budgets, so additional appropriations may be required. Processing expanded claims and carrying out the Amchitka cooperative agreement will create near-term administrative burdens but aim to address longstanding health and environmental harms.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Joshua David Hawley · Last progress January 24, 2025
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate