DRAFT 1983 68 CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP RELOCATION Congress creates the Bikini Atoll Rehabilitation Committee (BARC) to investigate and report to Congress on the feasibility and cost of rehabilitating Bikini Atoll. The BARC is funded by the DOI.‘ The Marshall Islands Legislature passes a resolution supporting a relocation request to the U.S. Congress by the Rongelapese.*"® Jan 83 ADMINISTRATION CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP MEDICAL Committee Print No. 3 prepared by the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Public Lands and National Parks recommendsthat the committee reiterate to the administration the congressional intent in P.L. 96-205 that the U.S. provide health care for the Marshallese adversely affected by the U.S. nuclear tests in the Pacific.‘”’ At the suggestion of the DOEassistant general counsel for generallitigation, the deputy assistant secretary for defense programs creates an informallitigation support working group to coordinatelitigation support activities. This group’s work will include support on cases filed by Marshall islands inhabitants for claims arising from the atmospheric nuclear testing in the Pacific.‘ 11 Jan 83 ADMINISTRATION Assistant Secretary for DP Herman E. Roser concurs in the transferring of the EP Marshall Islands and Dose Assessment Programs to DP with the understanding that the FY 1984 funding levels of $4.15 million and $1.4 million also Bo to DP because the FY 1984 DP budget contains no money for these programs." Ts 26 Jan 83 , ey “. ADMINISTRATION CONTRAOFOR}:tis MEDICAAL. 1% RADIATION Pei est eo, Replying to Tommy McCraw’s critique of the 8-9 December 1982 DOE meeting with Marshallese at Majuro, Roger Ray denies that representatives of the DOEand contractors made or advocated any change in DOEpolicy or that he made statements incompatible with past policy. Ray explains As to the alleged confusion on the part of our Marshallese hosts | would say that if there were not some confusion it would suggest that we were not communicating effectively. | have never yet attended a public meeting on radiation matters where the complexity of the subject did not evoke some degree of confusion and concern. Ray quotes from the meeting transcript to highlight the impressions of two Marshallese representatives. A memberof the parliamenttells Ray "that we can now ry ask things that we want to know and feel comfortable, we want to build on this telations ip of sharing information with each other." At the end of the meetings the RMI chiet secretary, representing the RMI resident, expresses “our extreme gratitude...for the teams coming....for this kind of setting we are able to sit down face to face...discuss these matters, raise questions and get answers orat least have them raised so the answers can be forthcoming eventually." IOCHEZb