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HJM002.....................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
NUCLEAR WEAPON TESTS - Stating findings of the Legislature and asking that,
upon verification of the effects of nuclear weapons testing on Idaho
residents, "downwinders" be compensated in the same manner and to the same
extent as those individuals previously compensated for similar exposures.
02/01 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/02 Rpt prt - to St Aff
02/10 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/11 2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
02/16 3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Skippen
Title apvd - to Senate
02/17 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to St Aff
02/21 Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
02/22 10th Ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
Floor Sponsor - Little
Title apvd - to House
02/23 To enrol
02/24 Rpt enrol - Sp signed
02/25 Pres signed
02/28 To Secretary of State
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]]
Fifty-eighth Legislature First Regular Session - 2005
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 2
BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
1 A JOINT MEMORIAL
2 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS
3 ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
4 IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
5 We, your Memorialists, the House of Representatives and the Senate of the
6 State of Idaho assembled in the First Regular Session of the Fifty-eighth
7 Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
8 WHEREAS, on October 15, 1990, Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Com-
9 pensation Act (RECA), which provides for compassionate payments to persons or
10 to their beneficiaries who developed diseases as a result of exposure to radi-
11 ation from U.S. atmospheric nuclear weapons testing; and
12 WHEREAS, currently, a study is underway by the National Academy of Sci-
13 ences and a report will be filed with Congress to address the adequacy of the
14 initial geographic coverage provided in RECA; and
15 WHEREAS, compelling anecdotal evidence has been accumulated at public
16 meetings and in written reports, to indicate the impact of atmospheric testing
17 on the downwinder populations in Idaho; and
18 WHEREAS, preliminary evidence suggests that scientific documentation being
19 gathered and assessed for inclusion in the report will find that risk factors
20 present in Idaho equal or exceed the factors present in areas previously
21 included in RECA coverage; and
22 WHEREAS, members of Idaho's congressional delegation have worked and will
23 continue to press for responsible legislative action to address the claims of
24 Idahoans based upon radiation exposure; and
25 WHEREAS, it is appropriate that members of the Idaho Legislature, speaking
26 on behalf of the citizens of the state, express support for the efforts of
27 Idaho's congressional delegation in their representation of downwinders in
28 Idaho.
29 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the First Regular Session
30 of the Fifty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and the
31 Senate concurring therein, that we anticipate the findings of the National
32 Academy of Sciences will verify the impact of testing on residents of Idaho,
33 and we conclude that it is appropriate to compensate these downwinders in the
34 same manner and to the same extent as those individuals previously compensated
35 for similar exposures. We urge the members of Idaho's congressional delegation
36 to continue in their endeavors on behalf of Idaho's citizens.
37 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representa-
38 tives be, and she is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this
39 Memorial to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
40 sentatives of Congress, and the congressional delegation representing the
41 State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 14602C1
From 1950 to 1962 residents of the United States who were downwind
from U.S. atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in Nevada were
subjected to radiation fallout. The United States government has
chosen to provide compassionate payments to some who have suffered
from identified illnesses through the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act (RECA). The twenty-one counties currently covered
were exposed to a lesser extent than most Idahoans. Four of the
five highest exposure counties in the United States are in Idaho.
We seek equitable coverage through RECA for Idahoans.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no general fund impact from this effort.
Contact
Names: Rep. Kathy Skippen
Rep. JoAn Wood
Rep. Lenore Hardy Barrett
Rep. Wendy Jaquet
Rep. Donna Pence
Rep. Carlos Bilbao
Phone: 208-332-1000
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HJM 2