Opinion: RECA reform can be done in a responsible way

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, has expired. The 1990 law that was enacted and designed to give some relief and assistance to the brave warriors who fought and essentially won the Cold War and the nuclear arms race has been allowed to sunset. For now, there can be no help or justice for these uranium miners, mill workers, ore haulers or others. Those who labored under dangerous conditions, who were lied to by their federal government and who lost their health or even their lives are just out of luck, it seems. This is a travesty. We should not allow this expiration to stand.
Together with my colleagues, I drafted the Uranium Miners and Workers Act, a fiscally responsible proposal that could be paid for without raising taxes or adding to the already massive federal deficit.
Not wanting to wait until the last minute to propose a solution, I introduced my proposal last year after discussing this issue with Wyoming constituents and those who serve these ill and suffering friends and neighbors. I’ve also met with my House colleagues and discussed the reasoning behind my legislation. To date, my RECA bill has 28 co-sponsors from 15 states, nine of whom are fellow members on the House Judiciary Committee (the committee of jurisdiction for RECA). Unlike so many other legislative efforts in Congress that seek to avoid the tried-and-true steps designed to make good law, my proposal follows regular order. It will be subject to proper congressional vetting to ensure it is as sound as possible.
For starters, it reauthorizes the underlying RECA program for an additional four years to allow exposure victims to file claims as their symptoms manifest. My bill specifically includes those uranium miners, mill workers and ore haulers who worked from Jan. 1, 1972, to Dec. 31, 1978, as part of the program. These workers, often referred to as “post-71 workers,” have suffered the same radiation exposures and are incurring the same medical problems as their earlier counterparts but have so far been barred from seeking the same medical help. Take the example of Bill Wegner of Sheridan, Wyoming. He suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and chronic silicosis of the lung. His father died of lung disease at the age of 68 from the same conditions Bill suffers from now. His dad was approved for RECA benefits because he mined before 1971. Because Bill mined after 1971, however, he was denied help for his condition. My bill will finally address this injustice for post-1971 uranium miners and workers.
The legislation also adds a small, forgotten group of workers known as “core drillers,” who were tasked with exploring uranium deposits for mining. Core drillers were left out of the original law and its subsequent amendment simply as an oversight. I think of Danny Wimp of Riverton, Wyoming. He worked alongside the uranium mines on a core driller rig in 1965. Now 77 years old, he suffers from pulmonary disease and has been trying to access the RECA program for years. Fortunately, my proposal includes core drillers, like Danny, as a worker category and brings the covered medical conditions up to date with what modern science has shown they should be.
It doesn’t result in deficit spending, create new federal bureaucracy, fly in the face of settled science, bypass federal indemnity provisions or ignore Wyomingites and others who worked and sometimes gave the last full measure of devotion to winning the Cold War. I will continue to work and fight until this group of hardworking, country-loving people receive their just due.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Republican, is the lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the State of Wyoming.