SJR 21: Relating to workers and family members of workers exposed to radiation during the Amchitka nuclear tests.
00SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 21 01 Relating to workers and family members of workers exposed to radiation during 02 the Amchitka nuclear tests. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS the largest underground nuclear bomb tests ever conducted by the 05 government of the United States were conducted as part of the Amchitka nuclear bomb test 06 program; and 07 WHEREAS many Alaska workers who worked at the Amchitka Island, Alaska, 08 nuclear bomb test program have reported what appears to be an inordinately high rate of 09 radiation-related diseases, including various kinds of cancer; and 10 WHEREAS the workers have been unable for years to obtain information on the tests 11 in which they were involved in order to prove their entitlement to compensation for their 12 medical needs because the United States Department of Energy has advised them that the 13 information is classified; and 14 WHEREAS the Amchitka Technical Advisory Group has unanimously requested a
01 medical surveillance program of Amchitka workers; and 02 WHEREAS some of the information necessary for workers to establish their 03 entitlement to medical benefits and other compensation has been released, but more 04 information apparently remains classified; 05 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests the Congress of the 06 United States to fund a medical surveillance program to cover the health concerns of the 07 Amchitka workers; and be it 08 FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Department of Energy and the 09 department's subcontractors are requested to expeditiously resolve the pending worker 10 compensation claims and litigation filed by injured workers from Amchitka and the surviving 11 family members of deceased workers at Amchitka; and be it 12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Congress of the United States amend the Radiation 13 Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 to include Amchitka Island, Alaska, within its coverage. 14 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President 15 of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Trent Lott, Majority 16 Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of 17 Representatives; the Honorable Bill Richardson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy; 18 and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and 19 the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in 20 Congress.