Many people will be descending on Capitol Hill this week to pressure Congress to renew the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, the law that helps compensate and pay for the healthcare of 9/11 survivors and first responders that will begin to expire soon. If Congress does not act, the section of the law that helps pay for the ongoing treatment of first responders and survivors dealing with chronic diseases or respiratory disorders will expire at the end of the month. In addition, a nearly $3 billion fund that helps compensate those who have suffered economic losses because of injuries that occurred at Ground Zero or related illnesses will expire next year.
Among the people lobbying for an extension for the law will be Jon Stewart, the former host of The Daily Show. Stewart has been pushing for better treatment of the first responders who helped in the days and months after the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001.
Stewart helped get the law into existence in 2010, when he invited first responders suffering from illnesses to appear on The Daily Show and talk about their health problems. That put huge pressure on Congress to pass the law in the first place
Others who will be on Capitol Hill this week include many of the people who worked to clear the site, both emergency service workers and construction workers, who have suffered problems ranging from cancer to respiratory illnesses.
Earlier this year, Stewart had Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on The Daily Show to talk about the law and its impending expiration. He expressed dismay that the law has not been renewed on a permanent basis.
"This one, honestly, is the most galling example of a legislature removed from the purpose of their job and the patriotism flag that they wave wholeheartedly when it serves their needs," Stewart said.
"It's unacceptable that first responders, survivors and their families have to come down to Washington and lobby Congress to do the right thing," Gillibrand said in a statement. "These programs are literally saving lives, and should be permanently extended so we avoid these expiration crises. This is a widely bipartisan bill that should have the support of every member of Congress who has sworn to never forget 9/11."
The bill has 129 co-sponsors in the House and 130 in the Senate, but it is still not slated for a vote. It is named for James Zadroga, a New York City police officer who participated in rescue and recovery work at the World Trade Center and who died of respiratory disease in 2006.
