HOUSE MEMORIAL 15

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2025

INTRODUCED BY

Joseph Franklin Hernandez and Derrick J. Lente

and D. Wonda Johnson and Patricia A. Lundstrom

and Michelle Paulene Abeyta

A MEMORIAL

RAISING AWARENESS OF THE CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE EXPOSED TO RADIATION AND ENCOURAGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO SUPPORT LEGISLATION TO EXPAND COMPENSATION UNDER THE FEDERAL RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ACT.

     WHEREAS, from 1945 to 1962, the United States government conducted an extensive weapons development program testing hundreds of nuclear weapons; and

     WHEREAS, to provide uranium for the atmospheric nuclear testing being carried out, the United States hired people to mine and process uranium in many areas, especially in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Utah; and

     WHEREAS, large uranium deposits were found on or near the Navajo Nation, and many Navajo people were employed to work in the mines; and

     WHEREAS, thousands of people were exposed to unhealthy and damagingly high doses of radiation through atmospheric nuclear weapons testing or through employment in uranium mining and processing; and

     WHEREAS, radiation exposure has been linked to many serious illnesses, including leukemia and multiple myeloma; renal failures; breast, bladder, colon, liver, lung, esophageal, ovarian, renal, prostate and stomach cancers; gastrointestinal, neurological and blood disorders; and other conditions leading to debilitation or death; and

     WHEREAS, in 1990, the United States congress passed the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act; and

     WHEREAS, the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was designed to provide some compensation to people exposed to radiation through certain atmospheric nuclear weapons tests and uranium mining and processing operations; and

     WHEREAS, the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act designated certain areas of Arizona and Utah as official downwind areas that were downwind of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, for which compensation would be provided; and

     WHEREAS, the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act limited compensation for uranium miners, millers and haulers to those workers employed by the uranium industry before January 1, 1972; and

     WHEREAS, the amount of monetary compensation awarded pursuant to the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act differs widely according to whether an individual was exposed to radiation due to being in a downwind area or according to the type of uranium industry-related work the individual performed; and

     WHEREAS, under the strict guidelines of the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, many individuals who have lived downwind from test sites outside of Arizona, Nevada and Utah or who worked in the uranium industry were provided no remedy for their radiation exposure; and

     WHEREAS, on April 28, 2022, United States Senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich co-sponsored United States Senate Bill 4119, which was signed by President Joe Biden on June 7, 2022, becoming public law 117-119 and extending the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act by two years; and

     WHEREAS, members of New Mexico's congressional delegation are continuing their previous efforts to expand and improve compensation for individuals exposed to radiation; and

     WHEREAS, on May 18, 2023, United States Senate Bill 1751 was introduced by Senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich and fifteen bipartisan co-sponsors to amend and extend the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, expanding eligibility, raising compensation amounts and extending by nineteen years the expiration date of the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act; and

     WHEREAS, legislation mirroring Senator Luján's bill was introduced on June 30, 2023 as United States House Resolution 4426 by United States Representatives Teresa Leger Fernandez, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez and thirty-nine bipartisan co-sponsors; and

     WHEREAS, in 2024, United States Senator Josh Hawley introduced United States Senate Bill 3853, and in 2025, he introduced United States Senate Bill 243 to extend the period for filing claims under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and to provide for compensation under that act;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the United States congress be encouraged to support the passage of United States Senate Bill 243 and any subsequent federal legislation to expand and improve compensation under the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to members of New Mexico's congressional delegation and members of the United States congress.

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