S. 2825 · 117th Congress
Downwinders Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
LeeSponsorNo cosponsors.
This bill expands eligibility for and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing and subsequently developed specified cancers.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Sep 23, 2021
Downwinders Act
This bill expands eligibility for and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing and subsequently developed specified cancers.
Under current law, the program compensates, among others, individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing. The bill expands that area to include all of Utah and specified counties in New Mexico. In addition, individuals may submit claims for compensation for 10 years following this bill's enactment (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022).
To support the program, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration must auction 100 megahertz of electromagnetic spectrum assigned or allocated to the federal government with a portion of the proceeds to be deposited into the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund in the Treasury. The bill extends this trust fund for 10 years following the bill's enactment.
In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must study which counties in Nevada and New Mexico were affected by radiation fallout from open air nuclear testing.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Downwinders Act
Latest action (Sep 23, 2021): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Policy area: Labor and Employment · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Sep 23, 2021
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.