Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2011

Bill: 112-s-791
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2011-04-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Arizona
Cancer
Civil actions and liability
Colorado
Department of Justice
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Education programs funding
Environmental health
Government information and archives
Government liability
Government trust funds
Guam
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Health care costs and insurance
Higher education
Idaho
Legal fees and court costs
Medical research
Military history
Mining
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota
Nuclear weapons
Oregon
Personnel records
Public contracts and procurement
Radiation
Research administration and funding
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Washington State
Worker safety and health
Wyoming

Summary:
action_date: 2011-04-12
text: 
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2011 - Amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund until 19 years after enactment of this Act.
 
Prescribes additional periods of required presence in an affected area during atmospheric nuclear testing for individuals filing leukemia or specified disease claims. Increases the amount of compensation an individual filing a claim may receive to $150,000.
 
Expands &quot;affected area&quot; to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and New Mexico, as well as any county in Arizona, Nevada, or Utah.
 
Extends to December 31, 1990, the period during which an individual employed at any time in a uranium mine or uranium mill is made eligible to receive compensation for a disease claim due to radiation exposure. Makes a core driller eligible to receive compensation upon filing of a disease claim.
 
Makes miners, core drillers, and ore transporters who suffer renal cancer or any other chronic renal disease, including nephritis and kidney tubal tissue injury, eligible for compensation due to exposure to radiation while on the job.
 
Requires the Attorney General to accept written affidavits meeting specified requirements regarding employment history, physical presence in an affected area, or participation at a nuclear testing site in determining the eligibility of claimants.
 
Extends until 19 years after enactment of this Act the statute of limitations for the filing of such claims.
 
Increases from 2% to 10% of the payment received by a claimant the maximum amount of attorneys fees that can be charged for the filing of an initial claim.
 
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the National Institute of Environmental Health Services, to establish a program of grants to institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among non-occupationally exposed individuals, including family members of uranium miners and millers.
 
Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to include as a member of the Special Exposure Cohort entitled to compensation with respect to chronic beryllium disease under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program any Department of Energy (DOE) employee or contractor who contracted cancer after beginning employment between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1990, in a uranium mine or mill located in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, Washington, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, or any other state the Attorney General includes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-04-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-04-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2393-2394)
action_date: 2011-04-12
text: Introduced in Senate