[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3711-3712]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 3712]]

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 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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