Senate approves radiation compensation bill

By Andres Picon | 03/07/2024 04:12 PM EST

The bipartisan “Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act” would expand and extend the program before its expiration in June.

Sen. Josh Hawley looks on during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has spent months demanding a vote on reauthorizing the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Francis Chung/POLITICO

The Senate voted Thursday to reauthorize and expand a federal program that compensates victims of nuclear contamination.

Senators advanced the “Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act,” S. 3853, on a 69-30 roll call.

The bill would extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), currently set to expire in June, and expand claims eligibility to include people in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee who have developed certain health conditions from radioactive waste that originated from the government’s nuclear weapons testing practices.

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It would also extend the dates for eligibility to some former uranium miners and expand eligibility for residents with certain health conditions who lived in Guam or New Mexico.

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