[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   INTRODUCTION OF THE JAMES ZADROGA 9/11 HEALTH AND COMPENSATION ACT

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2014

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, last week we marked 
the 13th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack. It is a 
day to remember and mourn those we lost, to comfort those who suffer 
still, and to honor those who responded on that day with courage and 
determination.
  Whenever we talk about 9/11, we have to acknowledge the heroes and 
heroines of 9/11, both those who lost their lives that day and those 
who are still sick and dying from the injuries and illnesses related to 
9/11. As a Congress, we stood together on the steps of the U.S. Capitol 
and vowed to never forget.
  That vow of never forget comes with an obligation on the part of 
Congress to ensure that we as a country remember, honor, and care for 
those who risked their lives to save others that day and those who were 
caught in the devastation that occurred at Ground Zero, at the U.S. 
Pentagon, and at Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
  A major piece of that promise to never forget was the James Zadroga 
9/11 Health and Compensation Act that became law in 2011. This 
legislation established the World Trade Center Health Program to 
provide medical monitoring and treatment for 9/11-related illnesses as 
well as a national health program to serve those who were at the 
Pentagon, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and those who came from around 
the country to aid in our country's recovery. It also reopened the 
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund to provide for economic losses 
and harm incurred from the aftermath of the attacks.
  Today, there are more than 60,000 responders or survivors who got 
sick from exposure to the deadly toxins at 9/11, mixes of fuel, glass, 
asbestos, and all kinds of chemicals that were in the air that day. 
These thousands are now receiving treatment and monitoring from the 
Health Program. This also includes over 2,900 people in the World Trade 
Center Health Program who have been diagnosed with cancer.
  Since 9/11 more than 800 New York Fire Department members and more 
than 550 New York Police Department personnel are struggling with 
serious 9/11-related illnesses.
  We have already lost over 70 firefighters and 60 New York Police 
Department officers who have died from their 9/11-related illnesses 
over the past 13 years. These are people who got sick while working on 
rescue and recovery, and they have died because of their exposure.
  These individuals with 9/11-related illnesses need continued 
specialized medical monitoring and care. It is unfair to cut them out 
of medical care and economic compensation simply because they did not 
get sick soon enough.
  As it stands, the Zadroga Act is set to expire in October 2015, yet 
the medical and economic crises of sick 9/11 responders and suffering 
survivors will not end in 2 years. They will only get worse over time. 
Research shows significantly higher rates of cancer among the 9/11 
population, a disease with a long latency period.
  That is why I have introduced, along with Peter King and Jerry 
Nadler, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization 
Act. This legislation would reauthorize the programs for 25 years and 
fulfill that promise to never forget.
  We are joined in support by a bipartisan group of 37 Members from all 
over the country. First responders and volunteers came from every 
corner of America to help and aid in the recovery. Others who were 
present on 9/11 have since moved to other areas of the country. The 
World Trade Center Health Program includes participants from 429 of the 
435 congressional districts. This means that in almost every Member's 
district, there are constituents who are being monitored or who are 
being treated under the World Trade Center Health Program.
  We must continue these Zadroga Act programs that are vital to the 
sick and dying, those whom we said we will never forget.

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