[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 159 (Wednesday, September 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9067-H9068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 9/11 HEROES MEDAL OF VALOR ACT OF 2017

  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3834) to provide that members of public safety agencies who 
died of 9/11-related health conditions are eligible for the 
Presidential 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3834

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor 
     Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. MEMBERS OF PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES WHO SUBSEQUENTLY 
                   DIED OF 9/11-RELATED HEALTH CONDITIONS ELIGIBLE 
                   FOR PRESIDENTIAL 9/11 HEROES MEDAL OF VALOR.

       An individual who was a public safety officer (as defined 
     in section 5 of the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act 
     of 2001) who--
       (1) participated in the response at any point during the 
     period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on July 
     31, 2002, to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, 
     the terrorist attack on the Pentagon, or the terrorist attack 
     that resulted in the crash of the fourth airplane in 
     Pennsylvania; and
       (2) died as a result of such participation thereafter as a 
     result of a WTC-related health condition (which term shall 
     have the meaning given such term in section 3312 of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300mm-22) with respect 
     to a WTC responder),

     shall be eligible for the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor referred 
     to in subsection (a) of section 124 of the Consolidated 
     Appropriations Act, 2005, in the same manner and to the same 
     extent as any individual who is otherwise eligible under such 
     section, except that no requirement under such section 
     pertaining to the death of that individual shall apply.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Tipton) and the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Kihuen) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 3834, the 9/11 Heroes 
Medal of Valor Act of 2017, introduced by our colleague from New York, 
Representative Crowley.
  Mr. Speaker, the terrible sights and sounds and memories of September 
11, 2001, are seared into America's memory, but none more so than the 
stories of incredibly brave police and fire officers who rushed into 
the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, ignoring danger to themselves, to 
help others escape. 442 of those brave public safety officers died, and 
in recognition of their bravery and sacrifice, in 2005, Congress 
created the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor awarded in their memory to their 
families.
  Since then, as we now know, many more of those who rushed to help 
others to safety from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, 
the Pentagon, or on the attack that resulted in the crash of the fourth 
airplane in Pennsylvania have died as a result of their heroism because 
of health conditions resulting from the attacks. Mr. Speaker, they were 
just as brave, and many suffered terribly. We can do no less than 
ensure that they are eligible to receive this medal as well.
  Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that we make all first responders who 
have died as a result of their heroism eligible for the medal, whether 
they died on that terrible day or at some later date. I support this 
bill, salute those brave souls, thank Representative Crowley for 
introducing this legislation, and urge its immediate passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIHUEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), the sponsor of this important 
legislation.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this 
time.
  I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and Ranking Member Waters and all 
the members of the Financial Services Committee for working with me to 
pass this important legislation. It is something I began work on early 
in my tenure here in Congress, and it is important to me and to my 
fellow New Yorkers and, I think, our fellow Americans, as well, to see 
this legislation pass today.
  Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001, our Nation was rocked by the most 
vicious terrorist attack in our Nation's history. The devastation and 
the loss of life shook the American people to their core. It shook the 
entire world.
  But that morning, we also witnessed the bright light of heroism. The 
world saw and heard inspiring tales of rescue by public safety 
officers: our police officers, our firefighters, and our EMTs. They 
heard heartbreaking stories of many of those heroes, their injuries and 
their tragic deaths, people who risked their lives to save others.
  There is something incredible about our public safety officers. Day 
in and day out, they put their lives on the line.
  Growing up, most of us were taught to run out of burning buildings, 
but they do exactly the opposite. They are trained and they are devoted 
to responding to just that type of situation. They run into those 
buildings not to protect themselves or even the property, but primarily 
to save lives.
  That is exactly what hundreds of first responders did on that fateful 
day in America. They ran in without pause. They climbed flights and 
flights of stairs, while an inferno raged above them. And as we 
remember all too well--the images are burned in our minds forever--
those towers eventually fell, taking just about all who were living 
inside those towers with them.
  This experience affected all of us, and it still affects us all 
today. It personally impacted thousands of people in New York and in 
the New York region, I would say the quad-State region and beyond. It 
affected people right here in our capital region and our Pentagon. It 
certainly affected the people in Pennsylvania and in Boston, and 
wherever those flights were heading that day.
  It was a national attack against America. Every soul in America 
experienced that attack. And it impacted me, personally, as well, 
because my dear, good friend and first cousin, Battalion Chief John 
Moran, was one of those brave public safety officers inside the towers 
that morning. His last known words were as his truck pulled up to Tower 
2. He said: ``Let me off here. I'm going to try to make a difference.''

  That is what all those who served that day tried to do: they tried to 
make a difference.
  So, for me, as for thousands of Americans, the effort to honor these 
men and women is personal. After the attacks took place, I began 
working on legislation to do just that.
  Earlier in 2001, just a few months before the attacks, Congress had 
created a Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor for those who went above 
and beyond the call of duty. But there wasn't a way to give that award 
posthumously to the many who displayed extraordinary courage and who 
perished on September 11. But we needed to change that, and we did.
  In 2004, Congress finally passed our legislation, the 9/11 Heroes 
Medal of Valor Act, which established a decoration, posthumously 
awarded by the President of the United States, to the public safety 
officers who died rescuing individuals at the World Trade Center, the 
Pentagon, and elsewhere on 9/11.
  The following year, I attended the ceremony at the White House with

[[Page H9068]]

many of the victims' families, where then-President George W. Bush 
bestowed this honor on 442 heroes and their families. They all deserved 
this important recognition.
  But as the years went on, the Nation began to learn of the longer 
lasting effects of the attacks because, as we all know, the story of 
this tragedy did not end simply on September 11. For weeks and for 
months after the attacks, officers continued to work day and night, 
first on search and rescue missions, and then on the cleanup of the 
wreckage itself.
  The toxic dust spewing into the air, when inhaled, proved to have 
enduring deadly effects, particularly for our first responders. For 
example, according to the Uniformed Firefighters Association, more than 
170 firefighters have died as a result of 9/11-related injuries.

                              {time}  1845

  Eighteen officers died in 2017 alone. Hundreds of other public safety 
officers have met similar fates.
  At the time that we passed the original 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor 
bill, we did not yet know that more brave public safety officers would 
fall ill and pass away because of their dedicated service to their 
country. They, too, were heroes, and they deserve to be honored as 
such.
  That is why I have worked to introduce this new 9/11 Heroes Medal of 
Valor Act. This bill will grant the medal to public safety officers who 
worked at the sites of the attacks and have since died from a 9/11-
connected illness as defined in the Zadroga Act. It will also allow 
those who continue to succumb to 9/11-related illnesses to receive this 
award.
  I am proud to say the legislation has the support of a wide array of 
public safety organizations, including the International Association of 
Fire Fighters, International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National 
Association of Police Organizations, the National Volunteer Fire 
Council, the National Sheriffs' Association, Major County Sheriffs of 
America, the FealGood Foundation, and, of course, the Sergeants 
Benevolent Association, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the 
New York City Police Department, and that of the Port Authority of New 
York and New Jersey, as well.
  Without the tireless advocacy efforts of these organizations, we 
would not be here today. So I am extremely grateful for the work that 
they have done and are committed to continue to do to make this bill 
law. I look forward to the day when we finally honor the hundreds of 
heroes who have died since 9/11 for the outstanding work they did and 
what they continue to do to help our Nation recover.
  I want to thank, again, the chairman, Mr. Hensarling, Ranking Member 
Waters, all of my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee who 
cosponsored this bill from New York and around the country as well, and 
all of those who have helped get this long-overdue bill passed here 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to its passage by the Senate and being 
signed into law by the President. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIHUEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly support H.R. 3834, the 9/11 
Heroes Medal of Valor Act of 2017. This bill reestablishes the original 
9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor to be given to the families of those 
heroes--the firefighters, police officers, and EMTs--who have since 
died as a result of their exposure to toxic chemicals on that fateful 
day.
  Though we have honored those who passed away on September 11 with the 
original 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor, the casualty list has continued to 
rise since then as a result of the debris and chemicals that so many 
were exposed to. I am proud to support this piece of legislation which 
honors the men and women who have made such a tremendous sacrifice in 
serving our country.
  I thank my colleague, Mr. Crowley, for his tireless work on this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Crowley).
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, in case the gentleman was going to yield 
back, I just want to thank my staff as well, both those who worked back 
in 2004 to help pass the original legislation, and my staff today.
  In particular, I want to thank my chief of staff back home in Queens, 
AnneMarie Anzalone, whose husband at the time was a member of the New 
York City Police Department, and was a part of the cleanup on the 
restoration after the attack in Manhattan. It was because of her 
thoughtfulness in terms of moving me and pushing me to pass this 
legislation that this bill has come to the floor today. So I want to 
thank her in particular for her efforts.
  I thank the gentleman again for yielding.
  Mr. KIHUEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3834.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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