Show-Me State Times

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) convened a press conference today with House lawmakers and victims of nuclear contamination from across the country, including those from the St. Louis and St. Charles areas in Missouri. The purpose was to urge the House to pass their Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to provide justice and compensation for individuals harmed by federal negligence.

“The wait has been too long, and it has been too cruel, and there is no need to wait any longer,” said Senator Hawley. “The Senate is proof that we can pass this bill. We passed it with nearly 70 votes, and we have the votes in the House. We have the votes. We’ve counted them, we have them. We have a majority; we could pass it on suspension. This could pass in the House. We need the House to put this bill on the floor.”

Senator Hawley has been a prominent advocate for securing compensation for radiation victims in Missouri and nationwide.

In March, the Senate passed Senator Hawley’s legislation to reauthorize and expand RECA by a bipartisan vote of 69-30.

Prior to that vote, he sent a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers General Scott Spellmon and Colonel Andy Pannier criticizing their concealment of cleanup efforts in St. Louis following reports of radioactive contamination in residents' homes.

Senator Hawley also brought Dawn Chapman, co-founder of "Just Moms" in St. Louis and an advocate for nuclear contamination victims, as his guest to the 2024 State of the Union address.

In February, Senator Hawley sent a letter urging his Republican colleagues in the Senate to reauthorize RECA.

After its initial Senate passage in July 2023, Senator Hawley's RECA reauthorization was removed from that year's National Defense Authorization Act by congressional leadership.