Congressional Record: June 12, 2000 (Senate)
Page S4956-S4969
AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED ______ DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT 2001 (H.R. 4576) ______ [...] HARKIN AMENDMENTS NOS. 3354-3355 (Ordered to lie on the table.) Mr. HARKIN submitted two amendments intended to be proposed by him to the bill, H.R. 4576, supra; as follows: Amendment No. 3354 On page 109 of the substituted original text, between lines 11 and 12, insert the following: Sec. 8126. (a) Of the amount appropriated by title II under the heading ``Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide'', funds, in a sufficient amount for the purpose, shall be used for the Department of Defense consideration and implementation of changes in Department of Defense secrecy oaths and policies, within appropriate national security constraints, to ensure that such policies do not prevent or discourage current and former workers at nuclear weapons facilities who may have been exposed to radioactive and other hazardous substances from discussing those exposures with their health care providers and with other appropriate officials, including for the consideration and implementation of changes to the policy of the Department of Defense neither to confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons as it is applied to former United States nuclear weapons facilities that no longer contain nuclear weapons or materials. (b) Of the amount appropriated by title II under the heading ``Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide'', funds, in sufficient amount for the purpose, shall be used to provide for the notification of people who are or were bound by Department of Defense secrecy oaths or policies, and who may have been exposed to radioactive or hazardous substances at nuclear weapons facilities, of any likely health risks and of how they can discuss the exposures with their health care providers and other appropriate officials without violating secrecy oaths or policies. ____