The serious health impacts of the 9/11 disaster were both immediate and long-term, affecting thousands of Ground Zero responders and downtown residents and office workers, as well as children in the City’s school system and significant portions of the region’s population as a whole. The federal response to these health emergencies has been inadequate and disappointing because of significant funding delays, a lack of organization, and failures to respond to the full degree necessary by the administration’s health agencies.
In the current session of Congress, I have introduced along with Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Vito Fossella (R-NY), and Peter King (R-NY) H.R. 7174, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
For a complete summary of 9/11 health and compensation issues:
I am also asking asking individuals exposed to the toxins of Ground Zero to share their stories with me. If you are willing to share your story, I ask that you take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire:
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Legislation
In September 2008 I introduced along with Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Vito Fossella (R-NY), and Peter King (R-NY), H.R. 7174, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health Compensation Act. This bill replaced H.R. 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act which was introduced by Reps. Maloney, Nadler, and Fossella on July 24, 2008. After conferring with Speaker Pelosi and the leadership of both committees of jurisdiction, the sponsors decided that changes were needed to sharpen the scope of the proposal, so the introduced a new bill, H.r. 7174.
H.R. 7174, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would:
- Provide ongoing medical care to at least 55,000 World Trade Center responders and at least 17,500 community members for 9/11 health conditions,
- Reopen the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund for 30 years to ensure that those with economic losses because of their WTC-related illnesses are compensated in a fair and timely manner,
- Provide liability protections for the City of New York and the World Trade Center contractors, who were called in to help in the nation’s time of need,
- Require a matching contribution by New York City of 10 percent for the health program, a contribution of approximately $50 million/year. Workers' compensation payments made by the City for 9/11 conditions would be credited against this amount.
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LinksFor assistance visit:
World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health
New York City Department of Health
World Trade Center Health Resources from the Department of Health and Human Services
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