McMahon will fight for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008

Sadly 7 years later we still have to fight for healthcare funding and research for our very bravest. Mike McMahon has come out strongly in support of HR 6594, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008 and many other federal bills relating to the health of our first responders. From his earlier press release announcing the endorsement by the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and Uniformed Firefighters Association we see what Mike will do for the district when he is in Congress;

In Congress, McMahon will fight for dedicated resources for the first responders sickened by their work responding to the terrorists attack on September 11th and on the pile after the towers fell. He has pledged to support the creation of a coordinated, permanent program to provide medical monitoring and assistance to first responders affected by the attacks. Currently, medical assistance for first responders relies in annual appropriations which do not guarantee continued care and support. By creating an entitlement fund for first responder care, our bravest would be assured sufficient resources for their medical needs.

McMahon also supports the reopening of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) to provide compensation for economic loss and injury related to September 11th. Reopening the fund would allow those affected by the attacks, but who did not file or became ill after the initial December 22, 2003 filing deadline, to claim losses. It would also allow for earlier awards to be readjusted if the initial judgment proved to be too low in the intervening years. The fund would replace the costly and time-consuming litigation-based system currently in place.

McMahon fully supports the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008 (H.R. 6594), named after the NYPD detective who died in January 2006 after working 450 hours at Ground Zero, which would create both the dedicated medical fund and reopen the VCF. The bill extends resources to all eligible first responders and community members affected by the attacks. It is currently pending in the House.

Mike McMahon for Congress