Bill would expand radiation compensation to New Mexico residents
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján introduced legislation Tuesday that would expand compensation for individuals exposed to radiation from the Trinity Site atomic blast in 1945 and for those exposed while working in or living near uranium mines in New Mexico.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2019 provides health and monetary compensations for individuals who were exposed to high levels of radiation that caused sickness, cancer and deaths in New Mexico and across the country, the congressman told the Journal. RECA was first passed in 1990 to compensate Americans who were exposed to nuclear testing, but did not include New Mexico.
The legislation would expand the original act and has more than 35 co-sponsors, including Luján's fellow Democratic New Mexico colleagues, Reps. Deb Haaland and Xochitl Torres Small.
“I know how important this legislation is for New Mexico families that have been affected,” Luján said. “This legislation will extend compensation for those individuals who played a role in our national security and help make those individuals whole.”
Read more: https://www.abqjournal.com/1341159/bill-would-expand-radiation-compensation-to-new-mexico-residents.html
(Albuquerque Journal)