James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. This important legislation was reported by the Energy and Commerce Committee with bipartisan support on May 25 by a vote of 33-12. I would like to take a moment to thank the bill's sponsors, Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler, as well as my colleagues from New York on the committee, Eliot Engel and Anthony Weiner, for their tireless work on behalf of this legislation.

Beyond the immediate loss of life on September 11, today thousands of people are suffering debilitating illnesses from its aftermath. H.R. 847 would establish the World Trade Center Health Program, a program to screen, monitor, and treat eligible responders and survivors who are suffering from World Trade Center-related diseases, most commonly from the massive, toxic dust cloud that enveloped lower Manhattan. The bill also funds research to improve our understanding of the health effects of the exposures over time.

Federal spending for the World Trade Center Health Program is capped at $3.2 billion and is fully paid for. The version before the House today is more than $1 billion less expensive than that reported with bipartisan support from the Energy and Commerce Committee. Today is an important step towards ensuring that the appropriate resources are available to take care of those who risked their lives to save others on September 11.

I urge my colleagues to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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