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H.R. 5338: Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021

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H.R. 5338: Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-09-22 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 8.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-09-22 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 25 - 8. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021

Plain summary

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021 This bill expands two programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers. First, the bill expands and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing or other sources and subsequently developed specified cancers. Under current law, this program compensates individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing and certain individuals employed in uranium mining. The bill expands the designated areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and additional areas in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; makes more individuals who worked in uranium mining eligible for the program; increases the amount of compensation awarded to and provides medical benefits for eligible claimants; and extends for 19 years following the bill's enactment the fund that supports this program and the statute of limitations for filing claims (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022). Second, the bill makes certain individuals employed in uranium mines or mills eligible for a program that compensates workers, including Department of Energy employees and contractors, for illnesses caused by occupational exposure to radiation and hazardous substances during development and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill also establishes a grant program in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] · 77 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Burgess Owens (R-UT), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Dina Titus (D-NV), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM), André Carson (D-IN), Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX), Jason Crow (D-CO), Blake D. Moore (R-UT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ted Lieu (D-CA), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY), Mark E. Amodei (R-NV), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Deborah K. Ross (D-NC), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Mark Takano (D-CA) and 17 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] reported raising $1.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Statute
A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr5338 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117