Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times
Wendy Flammia with a photo of her friend Jenn McNamara's husband, John
McNamara, a New York City firefighter and 9/11 responder who later
died of cancer, at a news conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: December 22, 2010
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CloseLinkedinDiggMixxMySpaceYahoo! BuzzPermalink WASHINGTON — After
years of fierce lobbying and debate, Congress approved a bill on
Wednesday to cover the cost of medical care for rescue workers and
others who became sick from toxic fumes, dust and smoke after the 2001
attack on the World Trade Center.
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The House Vote
The Caucus: G.O.P. Finds Itself in a Corner Over 9/11 Bill Stance
(December 22, 2010)
9/11 Health Bill Wins Support From G.O.P. (December 19, 2010)
Times Topic: 9/11 Health and Environmental IssuesThe $4.3 billion bill
cleared its biggest hurdle early in the afternoon when the Senate
unexpectedly approved it just 12 days after Republican senators had
blocked a more expensive House version from coming to the floor of the
Senate for a vote.
In recent days, Republican senators had been under fire for their
opposition to the legislation.
The House quickly passed the Senate bill a few hours later, as was
widely expected. The vote was 206 to 60, breaking down largely along
party lines. The White House said President Obama would sign the bill
into law.
After the Senate vote, a celebration broke out in a room in the
Capitol that was packed with emergency workers and 9/11 families, as
well as the two senators from New York, Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten
E. Gillibrand, and the two senators from New Jersey, Frank R.
Lautenberg and Robert Menendez. The senators, all Democrats, were
greeted with a huge ovation and repeated chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"
Mr. Schumer, the state's senior senator, allowed Ms. Gillibrand to
address the group first, in apparent deference to the role she took in
the Senate on the 9/11 legislation.
"Our Christmas miracle has arrived," she said to applause and cheers.
"To the firefighters here, the police officers here, everyone involved
in the recovery, all the volunteers, the family members: Thank you!"
she continued. "It was your work, it was your heroism, it was your
dedication that made the difference. It was your effort, coming here
week after week to tell senators and Congress members about your
stories and what you went through."
The votes came after prolonged aggressive lobbying by top New York
officials and lawmakers, police and firefighter groups and 9/11
families, who argued that the nation had a moral obligation to provide
medical assistance to rescue workers who spent days, weeks and even
months at ground zero.
In a reminder of the bill's long road to passage, Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, who sponsored the legislation when she
represented New York in the Senate, was coincidentally at the Capitol
on Wednesday for a Senate vote on ratification of the New Start treaty
The 9/11 health measure calls for providing $1.8 billion over the next
five years to monitor and treat injuries stemming from exposure to
toxic dust and debris at ground zero; New York City would pay 10
percent of these costs.
There are nearly 60,000 people enrolled in health-monitoring and
treatment programs related to the 9/11 attack. The federal government
currently provides the bulk of the financing for these programs.
The legislation adopted on Wednesday also sets aside $2.5 billion to
reopen the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund for five years to
provide payment for job and economic losses.
In a statement released by City Hall, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
hailed the passage of the legislation, saying it "affirms our nation's
commitment to protecting those who protect us all."
The bill was adopted during a flurry of activity as lawmakers rushed
to adjourn for the year. It was a major turn of events since the bill
appeared to have fallen victim to partisan squabbling and rancor.
In September, after years of negotiation and debate, the House passed
legislation that called for providing $7.4 billion over eight years to
cover the medical care of 9/11 rescue workers and others. But this
month, Republicans derailed that legislation in the Senate, expressing
concern about its cost.
By Wednesday, Senate Republicans budged, following a barrage of
criticism over the last few days — not just from Democrats, but also
from allies, including former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York
and conservative news outlets like Fox News. The 9/11 health care
issue also became a cause of Jon Stewart, who used the platform of his
program, "The Daily Show," to bring national attention to the bill.
Before agreeing to lift their opposition, Senate Republicans managed
to get Democrats to scale back the size of the original House bill.
The Senate adopted the legislation by a voice vote, eliminating the
need for a recorded vote, as lawmakers rushed to bring the
Congressional session to a close.
One of the main critics of the original House bill, Senator Tom
Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, expressed satisfaction with the
legislation's final cost.
"Every American recognizes the heroism of the 9/11 first responders,"
Mr. Coburn said. "But it is not compassionate to help one group while
robbing future generations of opportunity."
Still, the acrimonious fight over the 9/11 legislation appeared to
leave Republicans on the defensive and concerned that their party had
been unfairly demonized for raising legitimate objections to the
original $7.4 billion bill the House passed.
"Some have tried to portray this debate as a debate between those who
support 9/11 workers and those who don't," said Senator Mitch
McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader. "This is a gross
distortion of the facts. There was never any doubt about supporting
the first responders. It was about doing it right."
In the House, there was some disappointment among Democrats over the
deal cut in the Senate. But many concluded that the Senate bill was
the best they could get at the moment.
"This compromise isn't everything we wanted," Representative Carolyn
B. Maloney, Democrat of New York, a chief sponsor of the original
legislation, said. "But in the end we got a strong program that will
save lives."
The bill is formally known as the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and
Compensation Act, named after a New York police detective who took
part in the rescue efforts at ground zero and later developed
breathing complications. He died in January 2006. The cause of his
death became a source of debate after the city's medical examiner
concluded that it was not directly related to the attack.
The legislation allows for money from the Victims' Compensation Fund
to be paid to any eligible claimant who receives a payment under the
settlement of lawsuits that more than 10,000 rescue and cleanup
workers recently reached with the city. Currently, those who receive a
settlement are limited in how much compensation they can get from the
fund.
In New York, a federal judge told lawyers for the 10,000 that payments
from the settlement must start going out by late January. The judge,
Alvin K. Hellerstein of United States District Court in Manhattan,
worked out a timetable with the lawyers so that the settlement terms,
which call for payments of at least $625 million, become final within
the next two weeks.
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/nyregion/23health.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/nyregion/23health.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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Have a great day,
Tommy
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