[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 14, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I'm proud to 
announce the beginning of our effort to reauthorize and extend the 
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which is providing 
health care and financial assistance to over 70,000 first-responders 
and survivors all across the country. These are the 9/11 heroes--the 
firefighters, the police officers, the EMTs, the volunteers--who came 
to Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, to sift through the 
rubble and help their fellow men and women. The clock is ticking for 
the heroes and survivors of 9/11. In just over 500 days, the programs 
that help them cope with 9/11 related illnesses will expire.
  After 9/11 we made a promise not only to pursue justice against those 
who attacked us and to rebuild but also to take care of those who were 
injured in those attacks and the heroes who risked life and limb in the 
recovery efforts.
  Our commitment to ``never forget'' knew no bounds and no party lines 
when joined in unison on the steps of the Capitol back in 2001. This 
Congress we must make sure we keep that promise by permanently 
extending this vital legislation.
  The health of those who were there in the aftermath of 9/11 was 
forever changed. More than 70,000 people in all 50 states and in 429 of 
the 435 congressional districts have benefited from the World Trade 
Center and National Health Programs. The September 11th Victim 
Compensation Fund is helping more than 10,000 people who were made ill 
by
9/11 and has determined they are eligible for more than $1 billion in 
economic assistance because of the hardships and the losses they 
suffered.
  So far medical research has identified more than 60 types of cancer 
caused by 9/11 toxins. Thousands suffer from diseases that don't go 
away in a year and sometimes don't present themselves for decades. 
Diseases and injuries that can make it impossible to find and keep 
work.
  Making these programs permanent is the least that we as a grateful 
nation can do for our heroes and heroines of 9/11. I thank my 
colleagues Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Peter King, and the entire New York 
delegation, as well as other Members from across the country who have 
committed to working together in this fight for reauthorization.

                          ____________________