    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [July 15, 1999]
    [Pages 1225-1226]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on Occupational Illness Compensation for Energy Contractor
    Personnel
    July 15, 1999

    Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the
    Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the Office
    of Management and Budget, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
    Subject: Occupational Illness Compensation for Energy Contractor
    Personnel
        Contractor personnel working for the Department of Energy (DOE) and
    its predecessor agencies helped our Nation win the Cold War but often
    faced dangerous working conditions. A small number of them were exposed
    to beryllium, a metal used in the production of weapons, and
    subsequently contracted chronic beryllium disease (CBD), a debilitating
    lung disease for which there is no cure. Most of those exposed worked
    under contract for the DOE and are not covered by the Federal workers'
    compensation program. As a result many of those with CBD have not
    received the occupational illness benefits otherwise available to
    regular Federal employees.
        Today, I am pleased to announce that my Administration will submit
    draft legislation to the Congress that would create a new program to
    give DOE contractor employees with CBD and beryllium sensitivity the
    same benefits--certain medical costs and lost wages--now available to
    Federal employees. The American people believe in fairness, and I am
    sure that they would

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    find it fair to provide this reasonable compensation to this small group
    of people who contributed so much to their country's well-being and who
    now are suffering from this incurable disease.
        Under my draft legislation, the Department of Labor would administer
    a program similar to the Federal Employee Compensation Act (FECA)
    program, which currently provides Federal workers a proportion of lost
    wages, medical costs, rehabilitation, and training. My draft legislation
    also would compensate workers whose beryllium sensitivity forced them
    into lower-paying jobs. As with all workers' compensation systems, the
    program will serve as an ``exclusive remedy,'' barring individuals with
    work-related illness claims from bringing litigation against the Federal
    Government.
        Recognizing that other toxic and radioactive materials also may
    contribute to occupational illnesses, I direct you to participate in an
    interagency review led by the National Economic Council focusing on
    whether there are other illnesses that warrant inclusion in this program
    and how this should be accomplished. This interagency review should be
    completed by March 31, 2000.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this memorandum.