Acting for Zadroga
PBA members and politicians rally for extension
of bill that benefits 9-11 responders
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
n PHOTOS BY JOHN HUND
The response stretched from Ground Zero to the Elizabeth Fire
Department to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as part of the
journey to get back to the future. No distance is too great to secure
permanent reauthorization of the Zadroga Act that provides medical
care and benefits to law enforcement officers suffering from health
issues resulting from responding at the World Trade Center following
the 9-11 attacks.
In Washington on Dec. 2, NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan was
part of a contingent from the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) joining other groups representing first responders
and celebrities such as John Stewart to lobby Congress to re-up the
Zadroga Act.
A week earlier, President Colligan spoke at a rally of first responders in front of the Elizabeth Fire Department alongside NJ FMBA
President Ed Donnelly, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory
Booker and a detail of elected officials pledging their support for
reauthorization.
So far Congress is hesitating to reauthorize the Zadroga Act, but
the march on Washington and the rally in Elizabeth reinforced how
far the effort has come and what lies ahead.
“I have a strong feeling that it will get done. I know it has to get
done,” Colligan confessed. “I don’t know how any of the politicians
can look at those who responded on 9-11 and not re-up. They key is
permanent reauthorization so we’re not here begging every five
years. My fear is that those in Congress five or 10 years from now will
not remember 9-11. That’s why permanent funding is so important.”
About 5,000 first responders from New Jersey – along with about
65,000 more from all 50 states that sent aid in the wake of the attacks
– have since been diagnosed with serious and even fatal diseases
due to exposure to the poisons in the air at Ground Zero after the
World Trade Center Towers collapsed. The James Zadroga 9-11
Health and Compensation Act of 2010 has provided these first
responders with critically needed health screenings and financial
aid to help them and their families cope with the ongoing and
serious health issues, let alone the costs associated with treatment.
Zadroga was a NYPD officer who died of a respiratory disease that
has been attributed to his participation in rescue and recovery operations.
As of Sept. 30, the legislation has expired, and though funds
remain for a few months, the medical treatment that 9-11
responders and survivors from around the country are now finally
getting for their injuries will end. In fact, those that come down with
cancer after October 2016 will not only go without treatment, but
will not be compensated for their injuries.
Colligan reported that the effort in Washington will move the ball
forward. He indicated that advocacy efforts flipped two former “no”
votes and garnered support from Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, the
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