Advocates ask lame-duck Congress to extend downwinder compensation before end of year

WASHINGTON — With less than 20 working days remaining this year, advocates for those exposed to radiation from mid-century nuclear tests are asking the lame-duck Congress to expand and reauthorize compensation to downwinders.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, also known as RECA, was originally passed by Congress in 1990 to provide some restitution to people with illnesses linked to radiation exposure. The program was extended by two years in 2022 but lapsed over the summer when the House of Representatives declined to take up a Senate bill that reauthorized RECA and expanded the eligibility pool.

Now, with just 19 working days left in the 118th U.S. Congress, advocates from 16 states — including Utah — and one territory, penned a letter to Congress, urging House lawmakers to approve the coverage expansion. Advocates said they were told Congress would use the last two years to “improve the program” to cover more radiation victims, and that the Senate’s bill earlier this year would do just that, according to the letter obtained by KSL.com.