Bloomberg Appeals to Congress To Pass 9/11 Health Care Bill
By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press | July 31, 2008
WASHINGTON — Mayor Bloomberg is appealing to Congress today to pass a sweeping bill to care for sick ground zero workers.
Mr. Bloomberg, who has made such pleas before, is testifying today before a House subcommittee. He's urging passage of a new version of a bill creating a long-term program to treat workers and residents made sick by exposure to toxic dust and debris.
Almost seven years after the attacks, the mayor calls the federal effort on ground zero health "uncertain and insufficient."
New York lawmakers have pared down the current version of their 9/11 health care legislation to limit the number of people eligible for treatment. The proposed bill also would reopen the federal victim compensation fund.
