NY Daily News – September 09, 2014
by Jennifer Fermino
The father of James Zadroga — the first cop whose death was attributed to working at Ground Zero after 9/11 — pressed Congress on Monday to reauthorize the law that funds treatment for first responders. “These people are really sick,” said Joseph Zadroga, urging renewal of the law, named the Zadroga Act after his late son. “It’s very important.”
He spoke after a rally in front of 7 World Trade Center, calling on Congress to act quickly in reauthorizing the 2010 law, parts of which expire in a year.
Listening to the speakers — who included a cleaner who developed chronic illnesses after working at the site — Joseph Zadroga said he thought of his son’s final days.
“I know what these people are going through — the illness, and the anxiety, and the depression that comes along with it,” he said.
The Zadroga Act, which passed after a bitter fight, provides health care treatment for 30,000 first responders, area residents and workers sickened by toxic fumes on 9/11.
Common illnesses include more than 60 different types of cancer, chronic asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The expiration date results from a deal at the time of passage to hold down costs in order to win Republican support for the measure.
Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.), who attended the rally, said support for the bill should cross party lines.
“All of us have friends, neighbors, constituents who were cut down in the prime of life, people who were running marathons, who two or three years later could barely breathe,” said King.
No comments yet.