Since 9/11 over 1200 first responders have died from cancer. fukk that...
What we responding for if everyone dead? Their own government tossed them to the bushes and giving them the run around
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Will Congress take up 9/11 first responders act with majority support?
By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on October 30, 2015 at 10:44 AM, updated November 02, 2015 at 12:10 AM
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WASHINGTON — Legislation to permanently provide health benefits for 9/11 first responders has more than enough sponsors to pass the U.S. House and overcome a U.S. Senate filibuster, a bill sponsor announced.
U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said that the James Zadroga9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act now had 61 sponsors in the Senate and 237 in the House. That's more than enough to overcome any opposition in either chamber.
Meanwhile, the Republican chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the legislation, offered his own proposal that was immediately derided as indequate by the panel's ranking member, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.).
RELATED: WATCH: Jon Stewart goes to bat (again) for 9/11 first responders
The list of original Zadroga Act sponsors includes both New Jersey Democratic senators,Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, who joined Gillibrand, other lawmakers, comedian Jon Stewart and first responders at a Sept. 16 press conference urging Congress to make the law permanent. "This filibuster-proof majority for the Zadroga Act sends a clear message to our first responders that we will never forget what you did for your fellow citizens and for this nation on and after Sept. 11, 2001, a day that changed the world," Menendez said.
Zadroga, of North Arlington, was a New York City police officer who died of a respiratory disease attributed to him breathing in dust at the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The measure provides treatment and economic compensation for first responders who contracted health problems, including respiratory diseases and cancer, after working at 9/11 sites. The original bill expired Sept. 30, but there is still money available to continue funding the programs for months.
"Sadly, 14 years after 9/11, first responders and survivors are still battling serious health problems resulting from exposure to the toxins at Ground Zero," Booker said. "This bill honors the memory and sacrifices made that day by preserving the health and well-being of the men and women who are still recovering."
More than 4,800 people in New Jersey are getting treatment under the act, Pallone said.
Committee chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and health subcommittee chair Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) offered their own bill, which would renew the program for five years, commission a study on how to make sure that participants are eligible for the benefits, and pay for it by requiring upper-income senior citizens to pay more for Medicare.
The lawmakers said they are "making sure that those who served and sacrificed countless hours during the recovery efforts at Ground Zero receive the care and compensation they deserve."
Pallone quickly rejected the Republicans' bill, saying it "falls short of our responsibility" to first responders and should not be asking senior citizens to pick up the tab.
"It is the obligation of Congress, not seniors, to ensure that these men and women now have the care and resources they need," Pallone said.
The large number of House members who have endorsed the Zadroga Act means that its sponsors could use a procedural move known as discharge petition to force a vote on their measure.
"It's a tool available to us if necessary moving forward, but we do not feel compelled to go that route at this time because of commitments from the majority to work together with us to advance the bill," Pallone spokesman Daniel van Hoogstraten said.
If not?
"We will use every avenue available to enact this critical legislation," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.), who counted Zadroga as a constituent. "Newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan gave a terrific speech today about returning to 'regular order.' In that spirit, I hope the speaker will respect the will of the Congress and take the steps necessary to bring up the bipartisan Zadroga Act and pass it into law."
What we responding for if everyone dead? Their own government tossed them to the bushes and giving them the run around
× Close Ad
Will Congress take up 9/11 first responders act with majority support?
By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Follow on Twitter
on October 30, 2015 at 10:44 AM, updated November 02, 2015 at 12:10 AM
Comments
WASHINGTON — Legislation to permanently provide health benefits for 9/11 first responders has more than enough sponsors to pass the U.S. House and overcome a U.S. Senate filibuster, a bill sponsor announced.
U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said that the James Zadroga9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act now had 61 sponsors in the Senate and 237 in the House. That's more than enough to overcome any opposition in either chamber.
Meanwhile, the Republican chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the legislation, offered his own proposal that was immediately derided as indequate by the panel's ranking member, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.).
RELATED: WATCH: Jon Stewart goes to bat (again) for 9/11 first responders
The list of original Zadroga Act sponsors includes both New Jersey Democratic senators,Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, who joined Gillibrand, other lawmakers, comedian Jon Stewart and first responders at a Sept. 16 press conference urging Congress to make the law permanent. "This filibuster-proof majority for the Zadroga Act sends a clear message to our first responders that we will never forget what you did for your fellow citizens and for this nation on and after Sept. 11, 2001, a day that changed the world," Menendez said.
Zadroga, of North Arlington, was a New York City police officer who died of a respiratory disease attributed to him breathing in dust at the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The measure provides treatment and economic compensation for first responders who contracted health problems, including respiratory diseases and cancer, after working at 9/11 sites. The original bill expired Sept. 30, but there is still money available to continue funding the programs for months.
"Sadly, 14 years after 9/11, first responders and survivors are still battling serious health problems resulting from exposure to the toxins at Ground Zero," Booker said. "This bill honors the memory and sacrifices made that day by preserving the health and well-being of the men and women who are still recovering."
More than 4,800 people in New Jersey are getting treatment under the act, Pallone said.
Committee chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and health subcommittee chair Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) offered their own bill, which would renew the program for five years, commission a study on how to make sure that participants are eligible for the benefits, and pay for it by requiring upper-income senior citizens to pay more for Medicare.
The lawmakers said they are "making sure that those who served and sacrificed countless hours during the recovery efforts at Ground Zero receive the care and compensation they deserve."
Pallone quickly rejected the Republicans' bill, saying it "falls short of our responsibility" to first responders and should not be asking senior citizens to pick up the tab.
"It is the obligation of Congress, not seniors, to ensure that these men and women now have the care and resources they need," Pallone said.
The large number of House members who have endorsed the Zadroga Act means that its sponsors could use a procedural move known as discharge petition to force a vote on their measure.
"It's a tool available to us if necessary moving forward, but we do not feel compelled to go that route at this time because of commitments from the majority to work together with us to advance the bill," Pallone spokesman Daniel van Hoogstraten said.
If not?
"We will use every avenue available to enact this critical legislation," said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.), who counted Zadroga as a constituent. "Newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan gave a terrific speech today about returning to 'regular order.' In that spirit, I hope the speaker will respect the will of the Congress and take the steps necessary to bring up the bipartisan Zadroga Act and pass it into law."
