The Senate, in one of the last items they deal with this year, approved the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. This bill would provide health benefits for 9/11 workers and also includes language that would limit the liability of the contractors that worked at the site of the terrorist attack in New York City.
These contractors responded in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Twin Towers and continued their work for over a month without contracts while at the direction of federal, state and city officials. These contractors continue to face an enormous amount of liability from lawsuits from those who developed health problems in the aftermath of the attacks.
The Senate attempted to move the bill forward earlier this month and failed. The final deal included reducing the costs of the bill to $4.2 billion ($1.5 billion will go to health benefits, while $2.7 billion will go to compensation), down by $7.5 billion from the House-passed bill. The compromise does not allow new claims after five years, limits the amount of money that can go to attorneys’ fees, prevents future lawsuits and requires thorough federal oversight of fund management.
For more information, contact Kelly Knott at (202) 547-4685 or knottk@agc.org.
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