Next step is the Senate for the Zadroga bill, as it has passed the House of Representatives. The bill builds upon earlier legislation approved for this purpose. The law will allocate funds for medical care for individuals who were emergency responders during the attacks of September 11, 2001. Throughout the events, individuals breathed in bits of debris, dust, and toxic fumes. James Zadroga was a police officer in New York City, and was among the very first on the scene. Inhaling those toxic materials may have caused Officer Zadroga’s death.
Zadroga proposal passes through House and is passed
The House of Representatives passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, or the Zadroga bill. It passed pretty easily with a 268 to 160 vote. According to the New York Times, a pretty penny could be spent on the James Zadroga bill. It is going to cost about $7.4 billion. About $3.2 billion of the money could be used to help those from Ground Zero. Any illnesses or injuries from it will be looked into. It is expected that New York City will help with the costs. 10 percent of it should be paid by the city. Then one more $4.2 billion would be set aside. This would be meant as a September 11 Victim Compensation fund meant to be distributed.
Legislation is one area to dispute about
This is not the very first time the House saw this proposal. It had been seen once before. In July when it was very first introduced, it did not get the two-thirds majority that was needed to pass it. The bill was introduced that way because of republicans. An amendment made it so the rules were in place. Benefits wouldn’t have extended to illegal immigrants under the first James Zadroga act. That’s why it had to be changed. There has additionally been controversy considering James Zadroga himself. The medical examiner who performed his autopsy determined he did not die from any causes related to his involvement in the September 11 assaults. There was a fairly heavy debate over the first bill. Both Anthony Wiener and Peter King were involved in this.
The survivors of Sept 11 violence
Serious health effects are harming the survivors of the September 11 violence along with the reaction and cleanup crew. There are 60,000 people receiving medical care as a result of those effects.
Citations
NY Times
cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/911-health-care-bill-passes/?partner=rss and emc=rss
