Dive Brief:
- A group of officials and supporters rallied in New York City recently to urge Congress to extend the World Trade Center Health Program, part of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
- The program expired October 1. The Victim Compensation Fund, another part of the Zadroga Act, is scheduled to expire October 2016.
- Programs included in the Zadroga Act were approved in 2010 after lawmakers reached a compromise settling on the five-year law. According to The New York Times, more than 6,000 families have received compensation for illnesses and many more have received medical treatment.
Dive Insight:
The Victim Compensation Fund, set to expire next October, has been re-authored by Rep. Robert Goodlatte (R-VA), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. However, his version of the bill only extended the fund for five years with severe cuts. Members of New York's congressional delegation denounced it and recently some negotiating has occurred. Goodlatte said in a statement, "I am pleased to advise that we are close to a final deal with the sponsors of the original Zadroga Act in order to provide a fully funded five-year extension of the 9/11 fund."
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NYC) told The New York Times 1,700 people had died from 9/11-related illnesses, more than 4,000 had received cancer diagnoses, and more than 30,000 were sick.
In order for the bill to pass before the end of the year, it must be voted on as part of the omnibus spending bill or be attached to a tax-extending bill. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) said, "We have been on the cusp of passing this bill for weeks and months. But somehow it hasn't gotten done. It isn't a controversial issue."