Bill Text: NJ SCR149 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges federal government to fully fund September 11 Victims Compensation Fund.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-11-26 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [SCR149 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-SCR149-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 149
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED NOVEMBER 26, 2018
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Urges federal government to fully fund September 11 Victims Compensation Fund.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging the federal government to fully fund the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund.
Whereas, The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11) physically and emotionally affected many Americans and many New Jerseyans were acutely impacted from the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers; and
Whereas, New Jersey residents were not just victims of the terrorist attacks but suffered from short and long-term health problems that were direct results from the World Trade Center collapse and the toxins released therefrom; and
Whereas, The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which provides monitoring and treatment to those impacted by the 9/11 attacks, has enrolled a growing number of individuals with health conditions; and
Whereas, Nearly 80 percent of all enrollees in the WTCHP were first responders who bravely rushed to the scene of the attacks and are now especially vulnerable to health issues; and
Whereas, Many survivors and first responders are disabled or suffer from chronic medical and mental health conditions such as cancer, asthma, obstructive pulmonary disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder; and
Whereas, The creation of the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) in 2001 provided over $7 billion to victims, first responders, and their families for those injured or killed in the deadly 9/11 attacks; and
Whereas, The passage of the "James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010" and its reauthorization in 2015 appropriated an additional $7.3 billion to the VCF to compensate for ongoing health issues; and
Whereas, On October 3, 2018 the Special Master of the VCF announced that the current funding of the VCF may be insufficient to compensate the increase in claims and there could be a reduction in awards; and
Whereas, It is unacceptable to allow funding for the VCF to diminish to the point where individuals who have sacrificed their health and well-being for their country are forced to suffer even more; and
Whereas, The country is indebted to these individuals, and we must ensure that they are given the financial and medical help they need to live out the rest of their lives; and
Whereas, The VCF needs to be fully funded so that no individual or family will be forced to receive less than what is fully owed to them; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. The Legislature urges the federal government to fully fund the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution urges the federal government to fully fund the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund (VCF).
The September 11 (9/11) terrorist attacks and collapse of the World Trade Center towers devastated the nation and caused an ongoing health crisis for survivors and first responders. Many of the survivors and first responders currently suffer from chronic medical and mental health condition, and cancer claims continue to grow each year. It is estimated that by the end of the year, more people will have died from 9/11 diseases than those that died from the terrorist attacks.
Many of the individuals impacted by the attacks were residents of New Jersey and are reliant on the financial relief provided by the VCF for the chronic medical issues they have developed. With the current VCF set to expire in 2020, it is vital to protect the physical, mental, and financial health of those impacted by 9/11. The country owes it to those who sacrificed their lives and livelihoods to ensure that they and their families receive the help they need.
