Federal bills introduced to help support 9/11 victims and families

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)–Wednesday marks twenty-three years since the 9/11 terrorist attack. New York State Congressional members are pushing for legislation to that would continue to help victims and their families all these years later.

“Twenty-three years ago, like everyone else in this country, we watched with horror the terrorist attack, the loss of lives, the destruction. But we also in the moments that followed, saw heroism and remarkable resilience,” recalled Congressman Marc Molinaro.

Molinaro said it’s important to continue to help family members who lost loved ones, as well as those who live with health risks after responding to the attack. He is a co-sponsor the American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that has bipartisan support.

“What our bill does, is mandate regular processed payments to families, the appropriate auditing capacity to make sure the dollars are getting to the victims and their families— which will help by the way with fraud, and at the same time ensure that the families themselves don’t have to deal with a large amount of red tape and bureaucratic regulation,” explained Molinaro.

He also supports another bill called the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2024, something Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling on Congress to pass.

“Right now, what we’re doing is working very hard to make sure our 9/11 first responders and families who were at 9/11, at ground zero when it happened, get the access to the health care they need to survive some horrific diseases they’re getting because of toxins they were exposed to,” explained Gillibrand.

The bill would permanently fund the World Trade Center Health Program and adjust the funding formula to make sure services can continue to be provided for years to come.

“Health care costs have been more expensive than anything else, more expensive than food, housing, any other thing that is measured by inflation– it’s more expensive than any of it,” said Gillibrand. “So, we need to adjust the formula and that would cost $3 billion dollars.”

Senator Gillibrand is hoping to get the bill passed by the end of the year.

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