[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H1399-H1400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COMPENSATION FOR BETHLEHEM STEEL EMPLOYEES

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, the Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna, 
New York, was once the center of western New York's industrial sector, 
employing thousands of people. Tragically, these workers were 
unknowingly exposed to residual toxic uranium dust and high levels of 
radiation, leaving many suffering from cancer and other health 
problems. Thanks to the efforts of the employees' families, Congress 
established a program to compensate former Bethlehem Steel employees 
for their illnesses. However, this process is a difficult one to 
navigate.
  I am proud to have worked with the individual families and help 
countless of them receive the compensation they are owed. But, Mr. 
Speaker, there's

[[Page H1400]]

still more to be done. There are families who deserve to be compensated 
for their suffering. And that's why I, along with New York Senators 
Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, are calling on the National 
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to expand the eligibility 
period.
  Mr. Speaker, western New Yorkers have long been recognized as some of 
the most dedicated in this country. I will not rest until those who 
worked so hard for Bethlehem Steel are compensated for the undeserved 
suffering.

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