Today, U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Frank Pallone, Eliot Engel, Anthony Weiner, and Nydia Velazquez announced a crucial step forward for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, legislation that would provide comprehensive health care and compensation for those who are sick because of the 9/11 attacks.  (A summary of the legislation can be found here.)

The lawmakers announced that the legislation will be put to a vote this Tuesday in the House Health Subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Pallone.  The vote will be held starting at 10:00am in Room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington.

The House Health panel has jurisdiction over the Zadroga Act’s provisions to expand and make permanent existing federal programs to provide medical monitoring for those exposed to toxins released by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, and treatment for 9/11-related illnesses and injuries.  Last July, the House Judiciary Committee approved with bipartisan support the bill’s provisions to reopen the federal Victim Compensation Fund; the lawmakers said Sunday that they are hopeful for a similar result in Tuesday’s vote.

“Tuesday’s vote will be a giant step toward the finish line for the Zadroga Act, and we are hopeful it will pass with strong bipartisan support,” said Rep. Maloney.  “It’s been nine long years since the attacks.  Congress must finally step up to the plate and provide long-term health care and compensation for the heroes and survivors of 9/11.  We have a moral responsibility to provide care for those who lost their health because of the attacks on America --it’s simply the least this great nation can do.  I applaud Chairman Pallone for bringing this landmark bill for a vote in his subcommittee this Tuesday, and I thank him for his leadership and dedication to this noble cause.”

"On Tuesday, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will arrive at an essential milestone when it is marked up before Congressman Pallone's Energy and Commerce Subcommittee," said Nadler. "This is one of the final hurdles before we can bring our bill to a vote before the full House. What is crystal clear is that our legislation is more critical than ever, and I am confident that we are closer to justice for our brave responders and community members. We must not stop fighting until our government provides comprehensive medical care and compensation to the heroes and survivors of 9/11."

"Tuesday’s subcommittee markup will bring 9/11 first responders significantly closer to receiving permanent health care funding,” said Rep. Pallone.  “It is time Congress act on its promise to take care of victims and responders affected by 9/11and the aftermath.  I thank my colleagues in New York for their work on this bill."

“We don’t fully know the long-term effects of exposure to the toxins from 9/11. What pains me is that our nation has failed to provide a sustainable and reliable source of federal funding for health care monitoring and treatment. It certainly sends a chilling message to those who fearlessly volunteered for our country that nearly eight years later we are still fighting for care that should be a given.  This should not be the case, and we have not given up the fight to provide ample coverage in treating the heroes who came here to help their fellow man on that fateful day,” said Rep. Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Commmittee’s Subcommitee on Health.