The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expires this summer. The first bill passed the Senate earlier this year, but has not yet been considered in the House. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) is pushing to expand and extend the initiative, adding it as an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill.
“If we don’t get a vote on the amendment, I’m not going to help expedite it,” Hawley told reporters about the FAA bill.
Missourians say the bill is just one effort to help people who get sick from toxic areas in their communities.
“There’s no windfall for anyone,” said former Missouri resident Kim Visintine. “This is not about, ‘We’re just giving money to the people and they’re going to have all this money at their disposal.'” Large health costs are…a drop in the bucket. ”
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Visintine grew up near Coldwater Creek in northern St. Louis County. The area is part of a Superfund site where toxic waste was discovered years after the city’s nuclear program ended. Visintine said she frequented the stream as a child and now believes its toxins are the cause of illness in the area. Some of those who have become ill are very close to her.
“We were told he was one in a million. Children just don’t get this cancer,” Visintine said.
Her son, Zach, had his first neurosurgery within a week. He started chemotherapy soon after. Visintine and her husband consulted experts to help cure this rare cancer.
“Even though I had full insurance and my husband had full insurance, the out-of-network specialist out-of-pocket cost after a year of treatment was $100,000,” Bisintine said. .
Zach passed away in 2006 after a battle with cancer. As his parents began to process the loss, he began to wonder why this had happened.
Lawmakers push to update and expand Radiation Exposure Compensation Act
“After all these years, social media has allowed me to reconnect with many of my elementary school friends and friends I grew up with in the neighborhood,” Vicintine said.
She started a group, Coldwater Creek Just the Facts Please, and began mapping reports of the disease in the area.
“All these diseases are around the streams, and this is our common denominator, our common connection,” Visintine said.
Visintine and others she met through social media have been fighting for years to seek government and legal compensation. But efforts to seek government and legal redress face hurdles and limitations.
“Even if we received all this compensation, we would never be eligible. Because I was exposed, so was his illness. By the time he was born, I was in the affected postal code. I was living outside of the city,” Visintine said.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, said people across the country could be affected.
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“We have RECA claimants in all 50 states,” President Bush said. “We’re talking about a bill that affects every constituency in Congress.”
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act lists the zip codes where payments are allocated to those suffering from the disease. But Visintine and other supporters say the bill’s impact goes beyond just individual aid.
“If that gives someone a chance to breathe and pay their bills, that’s great. I think that’s great. But beyond compensation, if we’re part of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, then that’s great. “It’s an area that will be able to receive grants and funding for the entire community,” Vicintine explained. “Grants and funding will allow for the establishment of testing and health screening clinics, and will allow community organizations to apply for federal education grants.”
Lawmakers in affected areas say the bill has bipartisan support.
“When Cori Bush and Josh Hawley are on the same side and fighting for the same things for the people of Missouri, we need to listen,” Bush said.
Hawley said President Joe Biden plans to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.
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“All eyes are on the House of Commons now. The ball is in their court. I’ve spoken to Speaker Johnson about this. I’ve spoken to anyone who will listen and who won’t. , I told him it was time.” That’s the essence of it,” Hawley said.
Dawn Chapman, who lives near toxic waste in St. Louis, was Hawley’s guest at this year’s State of the Union address. She has been seeking compensation through her own group, Just Moms STL, for many years.
“We’re working as hard as we can because the truth is, it’s too late for us, it’s too late for me, it’s too late for my kids,” Chapman said.
While in Washington, she met with other members of Congress to gain support for the bill.
“We know what to look for because we’ve been able to see what’s going on in other communities,” Chapman said.
Members of communities concerned with radiation exposure were in Washington on Thursday to urge House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to vote on the bill.
The bill would cost about $60 billion and expand programs that were supposed to be cut, Johnson’s office told Fox News.
“The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawley’s position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House,” Johnson said in a statement.
Chapman and Just Moms STL co-founder Karen Nickell met with Speaker Johnson’s staff on Thursday. Nickel said after the hour-and-a-half meeting that officials were unaware of the extent of the community affected by radiation associated with nuclear waste.
“I feel like we’ve educated so many people, but there are still so many people who don’t understand,” Nickel said.
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Hawley said money is not an issue.
“This is an example of the government causing this harm,” Hawley said. “I’ll tell you who’s paying for this right now. The American people are paying for it. The people of my state are paying for it, in some cases literally risking their lives.”
