I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2049 
To amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to improve compensation 
for workers involved in uranium mining, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2017 
Mr. BEN RAY LUJA´N of New Mexico (for himself, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN 
GRISHAM
of New Mexico, Mr. PEARCE, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 
O’HALLERAN, Ms. TITUS, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. 
CA´RDENAS, Mr. SOTO, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. HECK, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. 
DEFAZIO, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, 
Ms. DELBENE, Mr. KILMER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. DOGGETT, and Mr. 
SCHRADER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education 
and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 im-
prove compensation for workers involved in uranium min-
ing, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Radiation Exposure 
Compensation Act Amendments of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. REFERENCES. 
Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to or repeal of a section or other provi-
sion of law, the reference shall be considered to be made 
to a section or other provision of the Radiation Exposure 
Compensation Act (Public Law 101–426; 42 U.S.C. 2210 
note). 
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF FUND. 
Section 3(d) is amended— 
(1) by striking the first sentence and inserting 
‘‘The Fund shall terminate 19 years after the date 
of the enactment of the Radiation Exposure Com-
pensation Act Amendments of 2017.’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘22-year’’ and inserting ‘‘19- 
year’’. 
SEC. 4. CLAIMS RELATING TO ATMOSPHERIC TESTING. 
(a) LEUKEMIA CLAIMS RELATING TO TRINITY TEST 
IN NEW MEXICO AND TESTS IN THE PACIFIC.—Section 
4(a)(1)(A) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i)— 
(A) in subclause (II)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘in the affected area’’ 
and inserting ‘‘in an affected area’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘or’’ after the semi-
colon; 
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(B) by redesignating subclause (III) as 
subclause (V); and 
(C) by inserting after subclause (II) the 
following: 
‘‘(III) was physically present in an af-
fected area for the period beginning on 
June 30, 1945, and ending on July 31, 
1945; or 
‘‘(IV) was physically present in an af-
fected area— 
‘‘(aa) for a period of at least 1 
year during the period beginning on 
June 30, 1946, and ending on August 
19, 1958; or 
‘‘(bb) for the period beginning on 
April 25, 1962, and ending on No-
vember 5, 1962; or’’; and 
(2) in clause (ii)(I), by striking ‘‘physical pres-
ence described in subclause (I) or (II) of clause (i) 
or onsite participation described in clause (i)(III)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘physical presence described in sub-
clause (I), (II), (III), or (IV) of clause (i) or onsite 
participation described in clause (i)(V)’’. 
(b) AMOUNTS
FOR CLAIMS RELATED
TO LEU-
KEMIA.—Section 4(a)(1) is amended— 
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(1) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘an 
amount’’ and inserting ‘‘the amount’’; and 
(2) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—If the conditions de-
scribed in subparagraph (C) are met, an indi-
vidual who is described in subparagraph (A)(i) 
shall receive $150,000.’’. 
(c) SPECIFIED DISEASES CLAIMS RELATING
TO 
TRINITY TEST IN NEW MEXICO AND TESTS IN THE PA-
CIFIC.—Section 4(a)(2) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘in the af-
fected area’’ and inserting ‘‘in an affected area’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘in the affected area’’ and 
inserting ‘‘in an affected area’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; 
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as sub-
paragraph (E); and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) was physically present in an affected 
area for the period beginning on June 30, 
1945, and ending on July 31, 1945; 
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‘‘(D) was physically present in an affected 
area— 
‘‘(i) for a period of at least 2 years 
during the period beginning on June 30, 
1946, and ending on August 19, 1958; or 
‘‘(ii) for the period beginning on April 
25, 1962, and ending on November 5, 
1962; or’’. 
(d) CLAIMS RELATED
TO RADIATION EXPOSURE 
DURING CLEANUP
OF ENEWETAK ATOLL.—Subpara-
graph (E) of section 4(a)(2) (as redesignated by sub-
section (c) of this section) is amended by striking ‘‘a test 
involving the atmospheric detonation of a nuclear device,’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) a test involving the atmospheric 
detonation of a nuclear device, or 
‘‘(ii) the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll 
during the period beginning on January 1, 
1977, and ending on December 31, 
1980,’’. 
(e) AMOUNTS FOR CLAIMS RELATED TO SPECIFIED 
DISEASES.—Section 4(a)(2) is amended in the matter fol-
lowing subparagraph (E) (as redesignated by subsection 
(c) of this section) by striking ‘‘$50,000 (in the case of 
an individual described in subparagraph (A) or (B)) or 
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$75,000 (in the case of an individual described in subpara-
graph (C)),’’ and inserting ‘‘$150,000’’. 
(f) MEDICAL BENEFITS.—Section 4(a) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) MEDICAL
BENEFITS.—An individual re-
ceiving a payment under this section shall be eligible 
to receive medical benefits in the same manner and 
to the same extent as an individual eligible to receive 
medical benefits under section 3629 of the Energy 
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Pro-
gram Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 7384t).’’. 
(g) DOWNWIND STATES.—Section 4(b)(1) is amend-
ed to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) ‘affected area’ means— 
‘‘(A) except as provided under subpara-
graphs (B) and (C), Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah; 
‘‘(B) with respect to a claim by an indi-
vidual under subsection (a)(1)(A)(i)(III) or 
(a)(2)(C), only New Mexico; and 
‘‘(C) with respect to a claim by an indi-
vidual under subsection (a)(1)(A)(i)(IV) or 
(a)(2)(D), only Guam.’’. 
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(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subclause (I); 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(III)(aa) does not meet the condi-
tions of subclause (I) or (II); 
‘‘(bb) worked, during the period de-
scribed in clause (i)(I), in two or more of 
the following positions: miner, miller, core 
driller, and ore transporter; 
‘‘(cc) meets the requirements of para-
graph (4) or (5), or both; and 
‘‘(dd) submits written medical docu-
mentation that the individual developed 
lung cancer or a nonmalignant respiratory 
disease or renal cancer or any other chron-
ic renal disease, including nephritis and 
kidney tubal tissue injury after exposure to 
radiation through work in one or more of 
the positions referred to in item (bb);’’. 
(e) DATES OF OPERATION OF URANIUM MINE.—Sec-
tion 5(a)(2)(A) is amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 
1971’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 1990’’. 
(f) SPECIAL RULES RELATING TO COMBINED WORK 
HISTORIES.—Section 5(a) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
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‘‘(4) SPECIAL RULE RELATING TO COMBINED 
WORK HISTORIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AT LEAST 
ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE.—An individual meets 
the requirements of this paragraph if the individual 
worked in one or more of the positions referred to 
in paragraph (1)(A)(ii)(III)(bb) for a period of at 
least one year during the period described in para-
graph (1)(A)(i)(I). 
‘‘(5) SPECIAL RULE RELATING TO COMBINED 
WORK
HISTORIES
FOR
MINERS.—An individual 
meets the requirements of this paragraph if the indi-
vidual, during the period described in paragraph 
(1)(A)(i)(I), worked as a miner and was exposed to 
such number of working level months of radiation 
that the Attorney General determines, when com-
bined with the exposure of such individual to radi-
ation through work as a miller, core driller, or ore 
transporter during the period described in paragraph 
(1)(A)(i)(I), results in such individual being exposed 
to a total level of radiation that is greater or equal 
to the level of exposure of an individual described in 
paragraph (4).’’. 
(g) DEFINITION OF CORE DRILLER.—Section 5(b) is 
amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(7); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (8) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) the term ‘core driller’ means any indi-
vidual employed to engage in the act or process of 
obtaining cylindrical rock samples of uranium or va-
nadium by means of a borehole drilling machine for 
the purpose of mining uranium or vanadium.’’. 
SEC. 6. EXPANSION OF USE OF AFFIDAVITS IN DETERMINA-
TION OF CLAIMS; REGULATIONS. 
(a) AFFIDAVITS.—Section 6(b) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) AFFIDAVITS.— 
‘‘(A) EMPLOYMENT
HISTORY.—For pur-
poses of this Act, the Attorney General shall ac-
cept a written affidavit or declaration as evi-
dence to substantiate the employment history of 
an individual as a miner, miller, core driller, or 
ore transporter if the affidavit— 
‘‘(i) is provided in addition to other 
material that may be used to substantiate 
the employment history of the individual; 
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‘‘(ii) attests to the employment history 
of the individual; 
‘‘(iii) is made subject to 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 dec-
laration as evidence to substantiate an individ-
ual’s physical presence in an affected area dur-
ing 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 pres-
ence in an affected area during that pe-
riod; 
‘‘(iii) is made subject to penalty for 
perjury; and 
‘‘(iv) is made by a person other than 
the individual filing the claim. 
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‘‘(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 partici-
pation 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 partici-
pation onsite in a test involving the atmos-
pheric 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 evi-
dence to substantiate an individual’s participa-
tion onsite in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll 
during the period beginning on January 1, 
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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 pe-
riod; 
‘‘(ii) attests to the individual’s partici-
pation 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.’’. 
(b) GUIDELINES
FOR ONSITE PARTICIPATION
IN 
CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL.—Subparagraph (C) of 
section 6(b)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘under section 
4(a)(2)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘, or in the cleanup of 
Enewetak Atoll, under section 4(a)(2)(E)’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
Section 6 is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) in the first sentence, by striking 
‘‘subsection (a)(1), (a)(2)(A), or (a)(2)(B) 
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