http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/07/28/2010-07-28_911_bill_in_trouble.html
BY Michael Mcauliff
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Wednesday, July 28th 2010

 

WASHINGTON - The House votes Wednesday or Thursday for the first time ever on a bill to care for the heroes and victims of Sept. 11, 2001 - and it's likely to fail.

That's because Democratic House leaders decided Tuesday to push ahead with the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act under a rule that requires two-thirds approval to pass.

Many Republicans are concerned about the $10.5 billion price tag, and many don't like the way it's paid for.

News of the scheme immediately alarmed 9/11 responders.

"Whoever votes 'No' tomorrow should go to jail for manslaughter," said John Feal, who lost half his foot at Ground Zero in the cleanup.

MONTGOMERY - Police, firefighters and others soon will be compensated for injuries suffered from the World Trade Center destruction - following settlements determined by a local firm experienced in complex, emotionally charged personal injury cases.

Garretson Firm Resolution Group has been named by a federal judge in New York to administer the $712.5 million that the government will pay to more than 10,000 workers injured in rescue, recovery and debris removal efforts following the 9/11 terrorist attack.

The settlements will come after years of lawsuits against New York City and contractors, brought by workers who fell ill in the months and years following cleanup at the site.

"We're dealing with some profoundly injured people and working to bring them closure," says Matthew Garretson, president and founder of the firm. Some emergency responders can no longer work, are forced to take 15 medications and use breathing machines for regular treatment.

New Ground Zero Deal Gives Plaintiffs $712.5 Million

By A. G. SULZBERGER and MIREYA NAVARRO

Lawyers for the city and some 10,000 rescue and cleanup workers at ground zero said Thursday that they had negotiated a new settlement that would give the workers more compensation for health damages and reduce the fees paid to their lawyers.

 
U.S. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney and Jerry Nadler gathered with 9/11 first responders at 
Ground Zero last Sunday. Photo courtesy of US Rep. Maloney's office

Original Article Here: http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_370/localpols.html

U.S. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney and Jerry Nadler paid a visit to ground zero on Sunday to highlight a 9/11 health care bill that has been dragging through Congress for nearly nine years. The bill cleared a huge hurdle on Tuesday when it passed its final committee vote, sending it to the house floor.

Ground Zero workers settlement unfair: judge
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, March 19th, 2010 -- 6:11 pm

NEW YORK (AFP) – A proposed 657-million-dollar health settlement for some 10,000 people who worked at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks was too low and must be renegotiated, a judge ruled Friday.

"In my judgment, this settlement is not enough," federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein said in New York after hearing two hours of testimony from plaintiffs in the huge case.

"There are some questions that have to be addressed," he added, calling for "additional negotiations to come up with a fair deal."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/11/world.trade.center.suit/index.html?hpt=T1

10,000 claims over 9/11 illness, injuries settled
By Jamie Guzzardo, CNN
March 11, 2010 10:28 p.m. EST

New York (CNN) -- The WTC Captive Insurance Co. announced settlements Thursday with more than 10,000 plaintiffs who claimed sickness or injuries after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The settlements could total up to $657 million.

WTC Captive was created with a $1 billion FEMA grant and provides insurance coverage to the City of New York and its debris-removal contractors. In the aftermath of attacks of September 11, 2001, New York was unable to get adequate amounts of liability insurance for the rescue, recovery and debris-removal work done at the World Trade Center site.

RT again covers again what the corporate, consolidated, controlled mainstream media in this country refuse to.

“The trials need to be held. They need to be held here [NYC]. They need to be held in a civilian court where the evidence can come out – evidence that’s still being collected … in this mass murder, which begs for a new investigation ... evidence that just might be in the lungs of the sick and dying by the tens of thousands first responders. Let’s get that evidence out there to find out what really happened.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFWMhR3HhTY

Lawyers for 9/11 responders defend firm's conduct
By DAVID B. CARUSO
The Associated Press
Friday, February 12, 2010; 2:28 PM

NEW YORK -- The lead lawyer for thousands of Sept. 11 rescue and recovery workers has acknowledged that in preparing some claims, his firm made mistakes - including assertions that people had cancer when they didn't.

But the attorney, Paul Napoli, said the errors all occurred at preliminary stages of the case, are being corrected and won't have any bearing on the outcome. He characterized the mistakes as few and accidental, caused by a crushing workload and a rush to meet court deadlines.

"We are not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes," Napoli said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.

Napoli's firm, Worby Groner Edelman & Napoli Bern, is coordinating lawsuits filed by more than 9,000 police officers, firefighters and construction workers who say New York City and its contractors failed to protect them from toxic World Trade Center ash.

9/11 Health bill loses long term support
BY CLAUDIA CRUZ
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 2:42 PM EST

The healthcare of first responders, volunteers, and recovery and clean-up workers after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, suffered a setback when the Obama administration stated it would not guarantee any long-term funding for their medical monitoring and treatment programs.

In a January 27 meeting between the New York Congressional delegation and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sebelius informed the delegation that the administration could not support the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 – introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney – due to the bill’s provisions that would require mandatory annual spending on federal 9/11 health programs.

Hello all,

Firstly thank you all for your contributions to the 9/11 Truth cause this year! I know many of you including my family have given considerable amounts of money to our campaign and you must all be proud of the success we have had in recent months getting the word out to many millions of people, through determined effort and perseverance.

As the saying goes "the squeaky wheel gets the oil" and while high profile groups like www.AE911Truth.org have been receiving regular donations (they still need more) other elements of our campaign have unfortunately missed out.

www.911Truth.org is the “face of this movement” and are the only group that facilitates a real person to be available for anyone to talk to and correspond with about 9/11 Truth issues. This person currently is Janice Matthews the Executive Director who is also a mother and has a large family to look after on her own.

Friends,

Please consider donating a tax-deductible toy or two (or a financial donation) to the FealGood Foundation this holiday season.

Their annual 'Toy Drive' is underway! Please visit www.FealGoodFoundation.com for more details.

From the Feal Good Foundation's website:

"So many heroes from 9/11/01 who risked their lives without prejudice, and are now gravely ill from their heroic actions have been financially ruined while trying to fight their 9/11 related illnesses and gain the benefits they so desperately deserve. These men & woman simply can not afford toys & presents for their children. It is our responsibility to assure these fallen heroes can share a holiday season with their loved ones, like all of us who are blessed enough to enjoy the holidays through out the year."

Donate now at www.fealgoodfoundation.com, or send your toys to:

FealGood Foundation
144 Shenandoah Blvd
Nesconset, New York 11767

Sign the petition!

To: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi & All Congressional Representatives

We the undersigned urge Speaker of the House, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, to immediately commit to a firm date for bill HR 847: the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 to be on the floor of the House of Representatives, for a vote.

Having lost over eight hundred September 11th first responders since that horrific day, we must act now as many, many more of our Nation’s Heroes are sick and dying due to the time they spent at the World Trade Center site.

We would like to to stress how important the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 is to us, our community and America. It is time to get this bill to the House floor and passed so that those who put America first on September 11, 2001 are taken properly taken care of, now.

New York '9/11 hero police chief' jailed

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6404860/New-York-911-hero-police-chief-jailed.html

He has become the first police chief in the city's history to be thrown into jail. In a hearing in White Plains, New York, Judge Stephen Robinson said he was revoking the $500,000 bail granted to Kerik, 54, who led the police under the previous administration of then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

"The government made a motion to revoke his bail. After a three-and-a-half hour hearing, the judge agreed to revoke the bail in order for him be sent to jail," Mr Hadad said. The former police chief faces 142 years in jail and fines of almost five million dollars if convicted on all the charges.

Kerik is accused of secretly accepting more than $250,000 in renovations to his apartment from a construction firm with suspected mafia ties while he was Corrections Department commissioner under Giuliani. Kerik, who pleaded guilty in a state court last year to accepting the work, is also accused of not declaring a total of $236,000 in rent he received on an luxury apartment in New York's posh Upper East Side.