[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 158 (Wednesday, October 28, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H11992-H11995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING A NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM 
                                WORKERS

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 790) supporting the goals and ideals of a national 
day of remembrance on October 30, 2009, for American nuclear weapons 
program workers and uranium miners, millers, and haulers, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 790

       Whereas hundreds of thousands of men and women have served 
     this Nation in building its nuclear defense since World War 
     II;
       Whereas these dedicated American workers paid a high price 
     for their service and have developed disabling or fatal 
     illnesses as a result of exposure to beryllium, ionizing 
     radiation, toxic substances, and other hazards that are 
     unique to the production and testing of nuclear weapons;
       Whereas these workers were put at individual risk without 
     their knowledge and consent in order to develop a nuclear 
     weapons program;

[[Page H11993]]

       Whereas these patriotic men and women deserve to be 
     recognized for their contribution, service, and sacrifice 
     towards the defense of our great Nation; and
       Whereas, on May 20, 2009, the Senate passed S. Res. 151, 
     designating a national day of remembrance on October 30, 
     2009, for nuclear weapons program workers: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of a national day of 
     remembrance for American nuclear weapons program workers and 
     uranium miners, millers, and haulers; and
       (2) encourages the people of the United States to support 
     and participate in appropriate ceremonies, programs, and 
     other activities to recognize a national day of remembrance 
     for past and present workers in America's nuclear weapons 
     program.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which they may revise and extend their 
remarks and include any extraneous materials.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, I am pleased to present House Resolution 790 for consideration. 
This legislation expresses our support for the goals and ideals of a 
national day of remembrance on October 30, 2009, in honor of America's 
nuclear weapons program workers and uranium miners, millers and 
haulers.
  House Resolution 790 was introduced by my friend and colleague, 
Representative Shelley Berkley of Nevada, on October 1, 2009, and it 
enjoys the support of over 50 Members of Congress. In addition, the 
United States Senate unanimously approved a companion measure to this 
legislation, Senate Resolution 151, on May 20, 2009.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 790 seeks to honor the hundreds of 
thousands of uranium and nuclear weapons workers who have served our 
Nation at great personal sacrifice since World War II and during the 
height of the Cold War. Regrettably, many of these dedicated workers 
developed disabling and fatal illnesses, including cancer and lung 
disease, as a result of their workplace exposure to beryllium, ionizing 
radiation and other hazards associated with the development and testing 
of nuclear weapons.
  As noted in 2007 by Denver's Rocky Mountain News, which published a 
report on the human costs associated with the domestic production and 
development of nuclear weapons, nearly 37,000 Americans have suffered 
from serious illness as a result of their exposure to radiation and 
toxic chemicals during their employment at above-ground nuclear weapons 
test sites and underground uranium mines. The same publication 
additionally reported that at least 4,000 of these nearly 37,000 
individuals have died as a result of illnesses associated with their 
work.
  Moreover, it's important to note that these statistics were only 
based on government figures, tracking those individuals that have been 
approved for compensation. As additionally noted by the Rocky Mountain 
News, many other nuclear weapons and uranium workers may have been 
affected, though they have yet to apply for compensation or have had 
their claims denied due to the difficulty in establishing a causal 
connection between their illness and their work.
  Mr. Speaker, these dedicated workers have served our Nation at great 
risk and sacrifice to not only themselves but to further generations of 
their families. It is my hope that we can honor their service and 
sacrifice through the passage of House Resolution 790.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Ms. Berkley, who is the 
lead sponsor of this resolution, in expressing our support for the 
goals and ideals of a national day of remembrance for American nuclear 
and uranium workers.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Let me, too, thank Mr. Lynch and Ms. Berkley for this legislation. 
Please join me in supporting House Resolution 790 to honor the patriots 
who have served their country in the nuclear weapons program. The 
development of the American nuclear weapons program depended upon the 
commitment, the sacrifice and the service of hundreds of thousands of 
workers since World War II.
  The sacrifice of these workers for America's security and 
technological advancement is patriotism at its finest. All Americans 
owe a debt of gratitude to all the workers in America's nuclear weapons 
program. We should honor their contributions with a national day of 
remembrance for nuclear weapons program workers and uranium miners, 
millers and haulers. Therefore, I urge you to support House Resolution 
790 to show our appreciation for all these men and women whose 
sacrifices to protect our Nation have benefited us all.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, at this point I would like to recognize for 5 
minutes Representative Shelley Berkley of Nevada, the lead sponsor of 
this resolution.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I'd particularly like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Towns 
and Issa, for expediting the floor consideration of this resolution, 
because it is very time sensitive. I would also like to thank Mr. Wamp 
for his work on this resolution and for joining me as a lead cosponsor.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 790 and in 
support of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who served this 
Nation in building and maintaining our nuclear defenses since World War 
II.
  In my home State of Nevada, we have thousands and thousands of our 
fellow citizens who have worked at the Nevada test site, the essential 
Nevada test site, and put themselves at great risk to make sure America 
had a first-rate nuclear weapons program. From the nuclear scientists, 
to the janitors, to the secretaries, and the drivers, these people 
devoted their lives in defense of their country, creating a nuclear 
weapons program for our Nation's security and defense. Many were 
unwittingly exposed to beryllium, ionizing radiation and other toxic 
substances and hazards.
  Many of these extraordinary workers have since developed deadly 
diseases, mostly cancer, as a result of their work at the Nevada test 
site and other sites around the country--in Georgia, Kentucky, New 
Mexico, Ohio, and Texas, just to name a few.
  And so we stand here today to honor these heroes and to call upon our 
fellow Americans to do so as well. In my home State of Nevada, the 
Atomic Testing Museum--on the grounds of the University of Nevada, Las 
Vegas, where my colleague Congresswoman Dina Titus taught and is an 
expert in this field--will host an event on October 30, this Friday, to 
honor and remember those who sacrificed in order to protect our great 
Nation.
  Whatever one may think of America's nuclear program, we can all agree 
on one thing: these workers deserve our thanks and our gratitude for 
their work and for their subsequent sacrifices. I thank them. I thank 
my colleagues once again for their support. I urge my colleagues to 
vote strongly and resoundingly in favor of this resolution.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).
  Mr. WAMP. I thank the distinguished ranking member and chairman of 
the subcommittee and the ranking member and chairman of the full 
committee, and especially Ms. Berkeley for her initiative on this 
important resolution.
  One of the greatest privileges of my service here over the last 15 
years is representing Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which played a critical 
role in the defense of our country, from the Manhattan Project forward. 
As we know, since 1942, almost three-quarters of a million people have 
worked in this industry, the nuclear industry.
  Some of our citizens in this country have been called during war to 
serve in

[[Page H11994]]

the uniform of our country. Some volunteered, some mandatorily; many 
were in tanks, in airports, ships, submarines. Many were in our plants 
and our facilities doing the same kind of work in a different venue, 
just as patriotic, just as sacrificial, and they haven't received, at 
different times, the due that they deserve. But the day after tomorrow, 
October 30, 2009, all across the country in different places, people 
will come together for this important commemoration, a day of 
recognition and remembrance, remembering those that have gone on.
  As the chairman said, many have died from the very illnesses that 
they got from their service and their sacrifice. Their families 
suffered a lot with them because they became ill doing this work in 
very difficult and unhealthy environments.
  Years ago here, in the Congress, about 10 years ago, I was one of the 
original authors of the legislation to compensate those people that 
became ill, commonly known as the Sick Worker Legislation, the acronym 
is EEOICPA, the hardest one to memorize. With a Democratic 
administration--the Clinton administration--and a Republican Congress, 
we hammered out and forged a benefit program for these sick workers.
  I want to thank on the floor of the House today Senator Fred 
Thompson, who stood up as a Republican with me at the time and others 
in a bipartisan way to provide this benefit to these families. Many of 
these families received $150,000 for the direct illnesses that they 
received from their extraordinary sacrifice.
  As we remember those that have died, we need to thank as a Nation all 
of those who became ill because of their exposure to these very 
chemicals and these toxicities that have been talked about on the floor 
today, but also recognize those that are still out there that are 
working that have survived. Maybe they've retired. It's so very 
important that we do this, because these are patriots who helped us win 
the Cold War and helped us create the deterrent that has kept the world 
safer.
  This nuclear industry is important. These facilities are important. 
The Department of Energy has played an important role, we knew it as 
the Atomic Energy Commission at that time, which evolved into the 
Department of Energy. It's a labor of love to work in a bipartisan way, 
in the Congress, to have this official day of recognition and 
remembrance for all of these workers, past and present and future, 
frankly, because we are still cleaning up the legacy of this Cold War 
investment. That's an important investment as well for our country to 
make.
  It's an honor and a privilege to coauthor this resolution with 
Congresswoman Berkley. Again, I want to close by thanking her for 
taking this initiative, because it is an important step. While many of 
us, because the House will be in session on Friday, October 30, will 
not physically be there at these remembrances, we are there with you 
100 percent in a bipartisan way as the Congress of the United States 
comes together. The Senate passed their resolution on May 20 for this 
official day of recognition and remembrance for all of these nuclear 
workers through the years and into the future.
  The United States of America and the Congress of the United States 
thanks you and recognizes you and remembers those who have given so 
much in defense of our liberties.

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the cosponsor of this 
resolution, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack).
  Mr. LOEBSACK. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also would like 
to thank Congresswoman Berkley for her leadership in introducing this 
resolution and the supporters on both sides of the aisle. In 
particular, I want to thank Congressman Wamp for his extremely eloquent 
testimonial just now.
  I rise in strong support of House Resolution 790. For decades during 
the Cold War, hundreds of thousands of Atomic Energy Commission 
employees, including thousands of workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition 
Plant in my district, labored in hazardous conditions at our Nation's 
nuclear weapons facilities. In the end, many of these workers 
sacrificed their health for the security of our Nation, working with 
beryllium, asbestos, uranium and radiation, without knowing the impacts 
these materials would later have on their health. But for far too long, 
their service and sacrifice have not been properly honored. They are 
truly the unheralded heroes of the Cold War.
  That will begin to change on October 30th, happily; October 30th 
marks the first national day of remembrance for our country's nuclear 
workers. On this day, our country will pause to pay tribute to our Cold 
War heroes, many of whom have paid a high price for their service. The 
resolution that we are considering today urges all Americans to 
recognize the men and women who have served our country selflessly and 
with great dedication in its nuclear facilities.
  I have had the distinct honor of meeting some of the Iowans who 
worked on Line One of the Burlington Atomic Energy Commission plant. 
These are the workers who assembled, disassembled, modified and tested 
weapons in Iowa between 1949 and 1975. They are true patriots, and 
their service was critical to our country's security throughout the 
uncertain decades of the Cold War.
  I urge all Americans to reflect upon their work and their sacrifices, 
and I urge my colleagues to support this critical resolution.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 2 minutes 
to another lead cosponsor of this measure, the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Perlmutter).
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Massachusetts, as well as Ms. Berkley and Mr. Wamp, for proposing this 
day of remembrance.
  On November 11th, our Nation recognizes Veterans Day by honoring the 
sacrifices of the men and women of our armed services. But we need to 
acknowledge another group of patriots who sacrificed in the defense of 
this Nation.
  This group of American citizens served for over 60 years to develop 
and ultimately construct the United States nuclear arsenal. The legacy 
of thousands of men and women who labored in the mines, nuclear fuel 
processing facilities and nuclear weapons assembly plants across the 
United States should be remembered forever, in particular for ending 
the cold war.
  Thousands of these cold war scientists, managers, engineers and 
workers who secretly worked in both building and decommissioning the 
United States' nuclear arsenal are suffering adverse health effects of 
their work with and around toxic and radioactive materials.
  Colorado's former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility, which is just 
a few miles from my house, and its thousands and thousands of workers, 
played an integral part to enhance the security of our Nation. These 
workers helped bring an end to the cold war. As we work to ensure that 
these workers receive the medical care and coverage they deserve, we 
need to offer them our thanks for their courageous service to our 
Nation. We continue to urge the administration to promptly respond to 
the various applications they have made for compensation and health 
care.
  I rise in support today and ask that we pass House Resolution 790, to 
designate Friday, October 30th, the Cold War Patriots National Day of 
Remembrance for the services these men and women provided to our 
Nation.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, we continue to reserve.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield 3 minutes to 
another lead cosponsor of this resolution, the gentlewoman from Nevada 
(Ms. Titus).
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Resolution 790, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of a 
national day of remembrance on October 30th, 2009, for American nuclear 
weapons program workers and uranium miners, millers, and haulers. I 
would like to thank my good friend and colleague, Congresswoman 
Berkley, for introducing this important resolution.
  The national day of remembrance recognizes the contributions of 
heroes whose efforts on the front line of the Cold War changed history. 
Their service to our Nation was instrumental in the effort to create a 
nuclear deterrent

[[Page H11995]]

that helped defeat the forces of Communism. Too often, their efforts 
are not recognized the way the veterans of other wars have been. But 
just as our veterans of other battles served with distinction to 
protect our Nation, so too did the workers at atomic weapons 
facilities.
  More than half a million Americans have worked since 1942 to create 
and maintain the United States nuclear arsenal. And while they did not 
face the dangers of conventional warfare, unfortunately, too many of 
these workers were left with the lasting scars of a battle that was 
waged in labs and test facilities across the country.
  Many former workers suffered from radiation and toxic exposure in 
their work on our nuclear forces. These workers from around the country 
deserve our support and are entitled to the care and benefits they have 
earned from their service during a period of our history when the 
threat of nuclear war was ever-present. Just as we care for our 
soldiers returning home from the battlefield, it is our responsibility 
to care for the workers from our nuclear weapons facilities who have 
been exposed to dangerous materials that harm their health.
  I especially salute the workers at the Nevada Test Site, also known 
as the National Sacrifice Zone, and thank them for their service. For 
more than four decades, they tested nuclear weapons that contribute to 
the safety and security of our Nation.
  I have been privileged to work with many of them as a board member of 
the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation and as a sponsor of State 
legislation to help facilitate the creation of the Atomic Testing 
Museum in Las Vegas so their incredible story can be made available for 
all to see and contemplate.
  The UNLV Oral History Program has also amassed hundreds of interviews 
with test site workers and preserved their experiences and reflections 
on life in the shadow of the mushroom cloud for scholars, journalists 
and other people of interest to have access to.
  So I thank you again, Mr. Speaker, and the other sponsors of this 
important resolution. I urge its passage.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, we continue to reserve.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, at this point I would like to yield 2 minutes 
to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis).
  (Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House 
Resolution 790, designating October 30th, 2009, as American nuclear 
weapons program workers remembrance day. I want to thank my good 
friend, the gentlelady from Nevada, for introducing this resolution.
  During World War II, countless men and women across the country 
sacrificed to ensure victory for our common ideals of democracy and 
freedom and to defeat tyrannical forces committing grave atrocities. 
This sacrifice continues to be true of the men and women who work in 
the nuclear weapons program, including uranium miners, millers, and 
haulers.
  In my home State of Tennessee, the Oak Ridge National Security 
Complex remains at the forefront of nuclear weapons development and 
manufacturing, providing security for the American people and our 
allies. These facilities have provided employment opportunities for 
East Tennesseans for decades.
  Unfortunately, throughout the years, nuclear workers have endured 
many physical dangers, including exposure to ionic radiation and other 
toxic substances. These patriotic workers are, at the very least, owed 
recognition of their great sacrifices. That is why I rise today in 
support of this resolution.
  As we look back to remember America's nuclear weapons program 
workers, it is important to look forward in our attempts to develop and 
improve protective equipment in order to create a safer workplace. We 
have made strides in protecting nuclear workers in recent times, and 
this government has a responsibility to continue that commitment.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I rise to say to these workers in Tennessee and 
around this great country, thank you for your service that continues to 
contribute to our national peace and security. Your patriotic 
sacrifices do not go unnoticed.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, we have no other speakers. We yield 
back the balance of our time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, again I urge my colleagues to join with Ms. 
Berkley and Mr. Wamp on the other side of the aisle to recognize and 
honor America's nuclear industry and uranium workers through the 
passage of House Resolution 790.
  I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 790, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________