Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is announcing that Majority Leader Harry Reid intends to file for cloture on the James Zadroga 9-11 Health and Compensation Act on Monday and that an initial Senate vote to begin formal debate on the bill will likely take place on Wednesday. Senator Gillibrand released the following statement:
“When I first introduced this bill in the Senate last year, no one thought we would make it to this point. Due to the tireless effort of so many first responders and survivors, after nine long years we are close to fulfilling our duty to the 9-11 heroes, but we still have a lot of work to do.
“The 9-11 heroes deserve an up or down vote. Let’s put politics aside, engage in a thorough and respectful debate, and then let each senator decide for themselves whether the heroes and victims of September 11th deserve quality health treatment and appropriate compensation for their tremendous loss and sacrifice.
“I am extremely thankful to Leader Reid for allowing this bill to come to a vote and I am thankful to all my colleagues who have already pledged to support the legislation. I am also grateful to my colleagues in the House, who passed this bill with bipartisan support earlier this year.”