Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1979 - Makes the United States liable for: (1) damages arising from certain nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site to individuals who resided in the affected area for a period of one year between January 1, 1951, and October 31, 1958, or between June 30, 1962, and July 31, 1962; (2) damages to individuals who worked in a uranium mine in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, or Utah for at least one year between January 1, 1947, and December 31, 1961; and (3) damages to a qualified sheep herd. Establishes in any action filed under this Act, upon a determination by the court that the plaintiff meets the requirements of the Act, an irrebuttable presumption that the damages alleged were caused by exposure to radiation as a result of a nuclear detonation or exposure to uranium. Limits the amount of attorney fees which can be received with respect to such actions. Defines "affected area" to mean specified areas of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, and any other area of the United States which received a high level of fallout as a result of the Nevada Test Site detonations, as determined by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Establishes within the National Cancer Institute a seven-member Advisory Panel on the Health Effects of Exposure to Radiation and Uranium to identify, for the purposes of recovery under this Act, types of cancer which develop after exposure to low level radiation and diseases and illnesses which develop after uranium mine employment. Directs the Advisory Panel to report its findings to Congress within nine months of the date it convenes. Amends title III of the Public Health Service Act (General Powers and Duties) to direct the Secretary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the adverse health effects resulting from the Nevada Test Site atomic weapons test program since January 1, 1951. Transfers to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare all functions of the Department of Energy relating to research on the health effects of radiation on human beings.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on October 9, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 9, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
EDWARD KENNEDY (D-MA) introduced it on October 9, 1979, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 6 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 9, 1979, 17138 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17138 days ago, on October 9, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers