[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 LEGISLATION TO EXPAND CONDITIONS FOR VETERANS PRESUMED TO BE SERVICE 
            CONNECTED DUE TO EXPOSURE TO IONIZING RADIATION

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                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 25, 1996

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to address 
an injustice that should be corrected at our earliest possible 
opportunity--the poor treatment of our Nation's atomic veterans.
  There can be no question that atomic veterans were not adequately 
informed of the dangers of ionizing radiation and were injured as a 
result. Many of these men and women have paid for their dedication and 
bravery with their health and some with their lives. We owe it to them 
to see that they are not forgotten and that they receive the 
compensation for all of the illnesses that were incurred because of 
their service to our Nation. My legislation is but another step in 
ensuring that we fulfill our duty to them.
  Recent developments have made a clear case for providing relief to 
these vets. The final report of the President's Advisory Committee on 
Human Radiation Experimentation more or less concluded that our 
Government has failed these brave men and women. The recommendations of 
the committee mirrored many of the concerns that the atomic veterans 
groups have had for years: that the list of presumptive diseases 
contained in law is inadequate, that the standard of proof to meet 
administrative claims is often impossible to meet, and that these 
statutes are limited and inequitable in their coverage.
  I believe that Congress must provide the necessary leadership to 
ensure that these veterans' needs are met. My legislation is based on 
the precedent set by the Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal Act, 
which provides relief for a number of presumptive diseases. Currently, 
Marshall Islanders receive compensation if they exhibit one or more of 
the 27 illnesses presumed radiogenic in nature. My legislation would 
ensure that all of the radiogenic illnesses that Marshall Islanders are 
compensated for are also on the presumptive list for our Nation's vets. 
Specifically, it would add bone cancer, cancer of the colon, 
nonmalignant thyroid nodular disease, parathyroid cancer, ovarian 
cancer, brain and central nervous system tumors, unexplained bone 
marrow failure and meningioma to the presumptive list.
  This legislation will ensure that atomic veterans are treated 
properly, not as second-class citizens. It will also ensure that our 
Nation's policy on addressing the damage done by our Nation's nuclear 
weapons program is consistent. The least we can do is to make sure that 
veterans receive compensation for illnesses already determined by our 
Government to be linked to exposure to ionizing radiation. I urge my 
colleagues to sponsor this long-overdue legislation.

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