Thomas Daschle: “I want to thank Chairman Hollings and Senator Gregg for working with other senators and me to accept an amendment that…”

“I want to thank Chairman Hollings and Senator Gregg for working with other senators and me to accept an amendment that will ensure that eligible beneficiaries may receive compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Over a year ago, Senator Hatch and I worked together to update RECA to ensure it took into account the latest scientific evidence and to extend benefits to new groups of workers, including uranium mill workers and ore transporters. In addition, we extended eligibility for compensation beyond the group of five States identified in the original law, to additional States where uranium mining occurred, including South Dakota. Due to the concerns about the amount of funding available for this program, language was included in both the fiscal year 2001 and fiscal year 2002 Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations bill limiting the payment of compensation to the original RECA beneficiaries. While I share concerns about the limited amount of funding available, I cannot support this approach to the problem. Those added to RECA in 2000 are now legally entitled to compensation and should have their claims paid along with original beneficiaries. We simply must do a better job of funding RECA in the future. Last year, many beneficiaries received IOUs from the Federal Government because inadequate funding was available to pay their claims.”