S. 243 (119th)Bill Overview

Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act

Labor and Employment|Administrative law and regulatory proceduresArizona
Cosponsors
Support
Republican
Introduced
Jan 24, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does

<div><strong>Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act</strong></div><div>&nbsp;</div><p>This bill reauthorizes and expands programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and who subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers.</p><p>Under current law, compensation is payable to individuals based on requirements including the (1) dates when exposure occurred, (2) duration of exposure, (3) type of exposure, and (4) resulting medical condition.&nbsp;</p><p>Among other changes to this program, the bill (1) extends the eligible dates when qualifying atmospheric exposure occurred, (2) authorizes compensation to individuals with combined work histories in uranium mining,&nbsp;(3)&nbsp;adds core drilling as an eligible mining occupation, and (4) increases the amount of compensation awarded&nbsp;to qualifying individuals.&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also expands this program to compensate individuals&nbsp;located in specified areas in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee&nbsp;associated with waste from the Manhattan Project and who subsequently developed specified types of cancer.</p><p>The bill extends until five years after this bill's enactment the statute of limitations for the filing of claims.&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also expands eligibility under an existing occupational illness compensation program for former Department of Energy employees.</p><p>The bill also establishes a grant program for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.</p><p>The bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report to Congress on the unmet medical benefits coverage for individuals who were exposed to radiation in atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by the federal government.</p>

Why people may split

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Watch point

The next hurdle is converting committee movement into a floor coalition.

<div><strong>Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act</strong></div><div>&nbsp;</div><p>This bill reauthorizes and expands programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and who subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers.</p><p>Under current law, compensation is payable to individuals based on requirements including the (1) dates when exposure occurred, (2) duration of exposure, (3) type of exposure, and (4) resulting medical condition.&nbsp;</p><p>Among other changes to this program, the bill (1) extends the eligible dates when qualifying atmospheric exposure occurred, (2) authorizes compensation to individuals with combined work histories in uranium mining,&nbsp;(3)&nbsp;adds core drilling as an eligible mining occupation, and (4) increases the amount of compensation awarded&nbsp;to qualifying individuals.&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also expands this program to compensate individuals&nbsp;located in specified areas in Alaska, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee&nbsp;associated with waste from the Manhattan Project and who subsequently developed specified types of cancer.</p><p>The bill extends until five years after this bill's enactment the statute of limitations for the filing of claims.&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also expands eligibility under an existing occupational illness compensation program for former Department of Energy employees.</p><p>The bill also establishes a grant program for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.</p><p>The bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report to Congress on the unmet medical benefits coverage for individuals who were exposed to radiation in atmospheric nuclear tests conducted by the federal government.</p>

Passage38/100

This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.

CredibilityPartial

How solid the drafting looks.

Contention62/100

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens0% / 100%
Likely helpedLikely burdened

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • No clear beneficiaries surfaced yet.
Likely burdened
  • No clear downsides surfaced yet.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Progressive

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Unclear
Centrist

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Unclear
Conservative

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

Unclear
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood38/100

This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.

Why this could stall
  • The next hurdle is converting committee movement into a floor coalition.
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.

This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.

Unlocked analysis

Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act.

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

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