By: Sarah Johnson
This week we’ll take a look at some legislation that has been hard fought, but finally passed. On September 11, 2001, 2,997 people died as a direct result of the terror attacks on the United States of America. Since then, first responders (police, firefighters and FBI agents) who played critical roles in the rescue, recovery, demolition and cleanup have fallen ill. The number of people who will die from illnesses related to these efforts is set to surpass the victims who died on that fateful day. The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act passed on July 24th, 2019.
Background on the Bill
Many of the first responders to 9/11 have become ill and died from their exposure to the multiple toxic cocktails present at Ground Zero, the Shanksville Crash Site and the Pentagon on 9/11 and throughout the years from burning chemicals, pulverized drywall and powdered cement released from the attacks. In July 2019, the 200th firefighter lost his life to illness related to responding and working the crash site.
Before this year, legislation providing funding for the medical treatment and care of first responders was passed twice. The first legislation was passed in 2010 and did two things: established the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) to provide medical monitoring and treatment of the responders, and, established the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) to provide compensation to the responders and their families. In 2015, reauthorization legislation passed which essentially made the healthcare aspect of the program permanent by authorizing the WTCHP program through 2090. It did not authorize the VCF for this length of time, it only provided an extension until 2020.
A revitalized mission to get the VCF “permanently funded” came on February 15, 2019, when the Special Master of September 11th Victim Compensation Fund announced cuts of 50% for pending claims and 70% for future claims due to a funding shortfall.
The Legislation
The act was renamed “The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act” to honor the “brave first responders who not only answered the call on 9/11/2001 and in the weeks and months afterwards, but also came to exemplify the fight for permanent healthcare and compensation for the 9/11 community.” The act provides funding for the program helping financially support 9/11 responders, survivors and their families, the VCF, through 2092.
The three men named in the bill all died of illness related to 9/11 after they were exposed to carcinogens like asbestos, jet fuel and mercury. In 2006, NYPD officer Zadroga died from a respiratory disease. After spending eight months digging through the rubble at the twin towers, NYC firefighter Pfiefer died after battling cancer for eight years in May 2017. NYPD detective Alvarez, one of the people most dedicated to passing this bill, died in June this year from colorectal cancer. His cancer was linked to the three months he spent on Ground Zero aiding in the recovery.
This legislation requires the VCF to issue payments to the people impacted by the reductions implemented in February of this year to cover the difference between actual cost and the reduced award given. This payment is due to the families in the first fiscal year beginning after enactment of the VCF Permanent Authorization Act. The legislation also requires all of the almost 1,700 affected individuals be notified of payment for their unreduced award prior to Sept. 11, 2019.
This bill became a focal point of the summer legislative session after comedian and activist Jon Stewart thrust it into the news cycle. He, alongside an ailing Luis Alvarez, gave an impassioned speech at the beginning of the summer before the House Judiciary Committee lambasting Congress for “ignoring” first responders. Alvarez died from his illness later that month.
Opposition to the bill mostly centered around the permanent funding of the program. Many people share an idea that spending oversight is a necessity, even if it is only once a generation.
Cover Photo by Aidan Bartos on Unsplash
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