WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed the RECA Extension Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and backed by Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) to extend the authorization for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The program, originally enacted in 1990, provides compensation to victims of radiation exposure caused by the federal government’s above-ground nuclear weapons testing during the 1950s and 1960s.
Earlier this week, Reps. Burgess Owens (UT-04) and Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03) led a letter to Congressional leadership urging a vote on the RECA Extension Act of 2022. Ahead of the vote, Rep. Owens spoke on the House floor in favor of S. 4119. Full remarks are available here.
“The federal government’s 50+ years of nuclear testing blanketed several western states with radioactive materials and exposed millions to a range of life-threatening diseases,” said Rep. Owens. “The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, set to lapse in July, is a lifeline for Downwinders in Utah and across the West. I am proud to work alongside my colleagues to champion this extension and continue righting the wrongs that destroyed the lives of countless innocent Americans.”
The full legislative text is available here.
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