Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced the Downwinders Compensation Act to give partial restitution to people who have developed cancer because of exposure to radiation in the atmosphere.
The government used a test site 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, to test atmospheric nuclear weapons from 1951 to 1962.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act already covers some counties “downwind” of the test site in Utah, Arizona and Nevada. The act also covers uranium miners, millers and ore transporters in many Western states.
In Arizona, the RECA covers Apache, Coconino, Gila, Navajo, and Yavapai counties and the area north of the Grand Canyon.
The DCA is aimed to benefit residents of Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada. Under the RECA, downwinders can be awarded a lump sum of $50,000. An applicant must show they lived in the downwinder area for two years between January 21, 1951, and October 31, 1958, or for full time between June 30, 1962, and ending on July 31, 1962. Learn more about the RECA here.
Representatives Mark Amodei (NV), Trent Franks (AZ), Ruben Gallego (AZ), Raúl Grijalva (AZ), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) cosponsored the bill.
