[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10115 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10115
To amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to provide for certain
claims related to atmospheric testing, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 17, 2026
Mr. Moylan (for himself, Mr. Bell, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Ms. Pettersen,
Ms. King-Hinds, Ms. Titus, Mr. Vasquez, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Budzinski, Mr.
Neguse, and Mr. Horsford) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to provide for certain
claims related to atmospheric testing, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Radiation Exposure Compensation
Reauthorization Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. CLAIMS RELATED TO ATMOSPHERIC TESTING.
Section 4 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (Public Law
101-426; 42 U.S.C. 2210 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i)--
(i) in subclause (I), by striking ``1962''
in each place it appears and inserting
``1992'';
(ii) in subclause (III)--
(I) by striking ``1962'' in each
place it appears and inserting
``1992''; and
(II) by striking ``or'' at the end;
(iii) by striking subclause (IV); and
(iv) by inserting after subclause (III) the
following:
``(IV) was physically present in an
affected area--
``(aa) for a period of at
least 1 year during the period
beginning on July 1, 1946, and
ending on November 6, 1992; or
``(bb) for the period
beginning on April 25, 1962,
and ending on November 6, 1962;
or
``(V) participated--
``(aa) onsite in a test
involving the atmospheric
detonation of a nuclear device;
or
``(bb) onsite in the
radiological cleanup of
Enewetak Atoll during the
period beginning on January 1,
1977, and ending on December
31, 1980; or
``(cc) onsite in the
response effort following the
collision of a United States
Air Force B-52 bomber and
refueling aircraft that caused
the release of four
thermonuclear weapons in the
vicinity of Palomares, Spain,
during the period beginning
January 17, 1966, and ending
March 31, 1967; or
``(dd) onsite in the
response effort following the
on-board fire and crash of a
United States Air Force B-52
bomber that caused the release
of four thermonuclear weapons
in the vicinity of Thule Air
Force Base, Greenland, during
the period beginning January
21, 1968, and ending September
25, 1968;
``(VI) is a member of the
petitioner cohort; and''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``1962'' each place it appears and inserting
``1992'';
(ii) in subparagraph (C)--
(I) by striking ``1962'' each place
it appears and inserting ``1992''; and
(II) by striking ``or'' at the end;
(iii) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as
subparagraph (F); and
(iv) by inserting after subparagraph (C)
the following:
``(D) was physically present in an affected area--
``(i) for a period of at least 1 year
during the period beginning on July 1, 1946,
and ending on November 6, 1992; or
``(ii) for the period beginning on April
25, 1962, and ending on November 6, 1962;
``(E) is a member of the petitioner cohort; or'';
and
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) in the matter preceding clause
(i), by striking ``subparagraph (B)''
and inserting ``subparagraphs (B) and
(C)'';
(II) in clause (i), by striking
``and Idaho'' and inserting ``Idaho,
Colorado, and Montana'';
(III) in clause (ii), by striking
``, the counties of White Pine, Nye,
Lander, Lincoln, Eureka, and that
portion of Clark County that consists
of townships 13 through 16 at ranges 63
through 71'';
(IV) in clause (iii), by striking
``, the counties of Coconino, Yavapai,
Navajo, Apache, and Gila, and Mohave'';
and
(V) by adding at the end the
following:
``(iv) the territory of Guam; and''; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) with respect to a claim by an individual
under subsection (a)(1)(A)(i)(IV) or (a)(2)(D), only
Guam.''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) `petitioner cohort' means a class of individuals
designated pursuant to section 7 of this Act.''.
SEC. 3. MANHATTAN PROJECT WASTE.
Section 5A of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (Public Law
101-426; 42 U.S.C. 2210 note), as added by section 110204 of Public Law
119-21, is amended--
(1) in subsection (d)(1), to read as follows:
``(1) in the State of Missouri, the ZIP Codes of 63031,
63033, 63034, 63042, 63045, 63074, 63106, 63107, 63112, 63113,
63114, 63115, 63120, 63133, 63135, 63136, 63137, 63138, 63044,
63121, 63140, 63145, 63147, 63102, 63304, 63134, 63043, 63341,
63368, and 63367;'';
(2) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(3) in subsection (d)(4), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon;
(4) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following:
``(5) in the State of Illinois, the ZIP Code of 62060;
``(6) in the State of Washington, the ZIP Codes of 98832,
98837, 98857, 98930, 98944, 98948, 98951, 98952, 99105, 99144,
99159, 99169, 99301, 99320, 99321, 99323, 99324, 99326, 99330,
99333, 99335, 99336, 99337, 99338, 99341, 99343, 99344, 99345,
99346, 99348, 99349, 99350, 99352, 99353, 99354, 99357, 99359,
99360, 99361, 99362, 99363, and 99371;
``(7) in the State of Colorado, the Zip Codes of 80002,
80003, 80004, 80005, 80007, 80025, 80020, 80021, 80023, 80026,
80027, 80030, 80031, 80033, 80202, 80203, 80204, 80205, 80206,
80207, 80209, 80210, 80211, 80212, 80216, 80218, 80220, 80221,
80222, 80223, 80224, 80229, 80230, 80231, 80233, 80234, 80241,
80246, 80247, 80260, 80266, 80303, 80305, 80403, 80601, 80602,
80603, 80621, 80640, 81212, 81215, 81221, 81226, 81240, 81244,
81246, and 81290; and
``(8) in the State of Ohio, the Zip Codes of 45613, 45648,
45661, 45690.'';
(5) in subsection (a)(2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting ``and contracted a specified disease after
such period of physical presence; or''; and
(B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read as
follows:
``(B) is a member of the petitioner cohort.''; and
(6) by adding at the end the following:
``(h) Petitioner Cohort.--The term `petitioner cohort' means a
class of individuals designated pursuant to section 7 of this Act.''.
SEC. 4. ADJUSTMENT IN COMPENSATION.
(a) Downwinder Claims.--Section 4(a) of the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act (Public Law 101-426; 42 U.S.C. 2210 note) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``$100,000'' and
inserting ``$150,000 in addition to the total amount of
compensation for which the individual is eligible under
paragraph (5)'';
(2) in paragraph (2)(F) (as redesignated by this Act), by
striking ``$100,000'' and inserting ``$150,000 in addition to
the total amount of compensation for which the individual is
eligible under paragraph (5)''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Medical benefits.--An individual receiving a payment
under this section shall be eligible to receive, upon
submission of contemporaneous written medical records, reports,
or billing statements created by or at the direction of a
licensed medical professional who provided contemporaneous
medical care to the claimant, additional compensation in the
amount of all documented out-of-pocket medical expenses
incurred as a result of the specified disease suffered by that
claimant, such as any medical expenses not covered, paid for,
or reimbursed through--
``(A) any public or private health insurance;
``(B) any employee health insurance;
``(C) any workers' compensation program; or
``(D) any other public, private, or employee health
program or benefit.''.
(b) Manhattan Project Waste Claims.--Section 5A of the Radiation
Exposure Compensation Act (Public Law 101-425; 42 U.S.C. 2210 note) is
amended in subsection (b)(1) by striking ``in an amount that is the
greater of $50,000 or the total amount of compensation for which the
individual is eligible under paragraph (2).'' and inserting ``$150,000
in addition to the total amount of compensation for which the
individual is eligible under paragraph (2).''.
(c) Manhattan Project Waste Claims Payments to Beneficiaries of
Deceased Individuals.--Section 5A of the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act (Public Law 101-425; 42 U.S.C. 2210 note) is amended
in subsection (c) by striking ``$25,000'' in each instance it appears
and inserting ``$150,000''.
SEC. 5. AFFIDAVITS.
Section 6(b) of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (Public Law
101-426; 42 U.S.C. 2210 note) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(3) Affidavits.--
``(A) Employment history.--For purposes of this
Act, the Attorney General shall accept a written
affidavit or declaration as evidence to substantiate
the employment of an individual as a miner, miller,
core driller, or ore transporter if the affidavit--
``(i) is provided in addition to the other
material that may be used to substantiate the
employment history of the individual;
``(ii) attests to the employment history of
the individual;
``(iii) is made subject to the penalty for
perjury; and
``(iv) is made by a person other than the
individual filing the claim.
``(B) Physical presence in affected area.--For
purposes of this Act, the Attorney General shall accept
a written affidavit or declaration as evidence to
substantiate an individual's physical presence in an
affected area during a period described in section
4(a)(1)(A)(i) or section 4(a)(2) if the affidavit--
``(i) is provided in addition to other
material that may be used to substantiate the
individual's presence in an affected area
during that time period;
``(ii) attests to the individual's presence
in an affected area during that period;
``(iii) is made subject to penalty for
perjury; and
``(iv) is made by a person other than the
individual filing the claim.
``(C) Participation at testing site.--For purposes
of this Act, the Attorney General shall accept a
written affidavit or declaration as evidence to
substantiate an individual's participation onsite in a
test involving the atmospheric detonation of a nuclear
device if the affidavit--
``(i) is provided in addition to other
material that may be used to substantiate the
individual's participation onsite in a test
involving the atmospheric detonation of a
nuclear device;
``(ii) attests to the individual's
participation onsite in a test involving the
atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device;
``(iii) is made subject to penalty for
perjury; and
``(iv) is made by a person other than the
individual filing the claim.
``(D) Participation in cleanup.--For purposes of
this Act, the Attorney General shall accept a written
affidavit or declaration as evidence to substantiate an
individual's participation onsite in the cleanup of
Enewetak Atoll during the period beginning on January
1, 1977, and ending on December 31, 1980, if the
affidavit--
``(i) is provided in addition to other
material that may be used to substantiate the
individual's participation onsite in the
cleanup of Enewetak Atoll during such period;
``(ii) attests to the individual's
participation onsite in the cleanup of Enewetak
Atoll during such period;
``(iii) is made subject to penalty for
perjury; and
``(iv) is made by a person other than the
individual filing the claim.
``(E) Participation in palomares response effort.--
For purposes of this Act, the Attorney General shall
accept a written affidavit or declaration as evidence
to substantiate an individual's participation onsite in
the response effort following the collision of a United
States Air Force B-52 bomber and refueling aircraft
that caused the release of four thermonuclear weapons
in the vicinity of Palomares, Spain, during the period
beginning January 17, 1966, and ending March 31, 1967,
if the affidavit--
``(i) is provided in addition to other
material that may be used to substantiate the
individual's participation onsite in such
response effort during such period;
``(ii) attests to the individual's
participation onsite in such response effort
during such period;
``(iii) is made subject to penalty for
perjury; and
``(iv) is made by a person other than the
individual filing the claim.
``(F) Participation in thule response effort.--For
purposes of this Act, the Attorney General shall accept
a written affidavit or declaration as evidence to
substantiate an individual's participation onsite in
the response effort following the on-board fire and
crash of a United States Air Force B-52 bomber that
caused the release of four thermonuclear weapons in the
vicinity of Thule, Greenland, during the period
beginning January 21, 1968, and ending September 25,
1968, if the affidavit--
``(i) is provided in addition to other
material that may be used to substantiate the