HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Members of Congress are pushing again to get Guam residents who were exposed to radiation compensated, according to a press release from the office of Del. James Moylan.
Moylan on Monday joined Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho in introducing legislation to amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA.
According to the text of the measure, it would expand the list of areas affected by atomic weapons tests to include Guam. Besides that, it would increase the payout cap from $75,000 to $150,000 for individuals who are found to be affected and to have certain kinds of cancer associated with nuclear radiation exposure.
Finally, the measure would extend the RECA program for another 19 years. The push to have Guam radiation survivors compensated is time-sensitive. Post files show RECA was set to expire last year, but was extended for another two years by Sens. Lujan and Crapo and is now set to expire in July 2024.
“There are several island residents who were exposed to radiation and rightfully qualify for compensation under the RECA. I want to thank Guam’s Robert Celestial for continuing the advocacy on this issue. Back in December, he approached and educated our team on the issue, shared his personal story, and we committed to working with Rep. (Teresa Leger) Fernandez on this endeavor, as she has been a champion on this issue for years,” Moylan said in a statement.
Moylan was asked to be the House Republican co-lead for the bipartisan measure. The delegate said getting those affected by radiation properly compensated was of the “utmost importance.”
Robert Celestial, president of the Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors, testifies during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2018 in Washington, D.C. Also pictured is then-Vice Speaker Therese Terlaje, background right.
