Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Statement Following House Passage of The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

Statement

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Statement Following House Passage of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

Jackson Lee: "This bill which passed the House today enables necessary funding to pay out claims from the VCF and allows claims to be filed until October 2089; mandates that a person making a claim whose previous payment amount was reduced based on insufficient funding for the VCF can retroactively receive full funding for their claims; removes the cap on non-economic damages in circumstances when a person making a claim has undergone such excessive pain and suffering that statutory compensation is deemed insufficient; and adjusts the annual limit on economic loss compensation by indexing limits to inflation. It is my hope that it will enjoy swift passage by the Senate and is promptly enacted into law. In order to honor the life of Luis and the lives of all who have served our country because of that horrible day, I will not relent until the VCF is passed, permanently funded, and is the law of the land."

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, senior Member of the House Committees on Budget, Judiciary and Homeland Security released this statement following House passage of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund:

"Earlier today, I voted in support of H.R. 1327, the "Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act," and I applaud its passage in the House of Representatives. This bill enables necessary funding to pay out claims and allows claims to be filed until October 2089; mandates that a person making a claim whose previous payment amount was reduced based on insufficient funding for the VCF can retroactively receive full funding for their claims; removes the cap on non-economic damages in circumstances when a person making a claim has undergone such excessive pain and suffering that statutory compensation is deemed insufficient; and adjusts the annual limit on economic loss compensation by indexing limits to inflation.

"September 11, 2001, will be remembered as a dark day in our nation's history. We all remember where we were when we learned of the horrific carnage which was unfolding in three discrete points in the United States: Lower Manhattan; Shanksville, Pennsylvania; the Pentagon. Indeed, the sight of smoke plumes billowing from the Pentagon was visible from the United States Capitol, where my colleagues in the Congress and I were on that day, learning of the attack on America. We knew then that the event would eventually require America to respond on a global stage. We also knew that at that very moment, our nation's bravest firefighters, police officers and first responders were there to help the countless Americans who sought assistance in those harrowing first moments after the attack.

"The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund ("VCF") was created to provide compensation for any individual (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001 or the debris removal efforts that took place in the immediate aftermath of those crashes. In the years since September 11, 2001, thousands of 9/11 responders and survivors have become ill--and many have lost their lives from exposure to a toxic cocktail of the burning chemicals, pulverized drywall, and powdered cement that was present at Ground Zero. There are 9/11 first responders and survivors in every state and in 433 out of 435 Congressional districts.

"After years of urging Congress to act, in 2010 and again in 2015, legislation was passed to help these heroes. On December 18, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill reauthorizing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. This included the reauthorization of the VCF. The new law extends the VCF for five years, allowing individuals to submit their claims until December 18, 2020. Within the next few years, the number of deaths caused by 9/11-related illnesses and injuries is expected to surpass the 3,000 deaths during the attacks themselves, according to the Fund. On February 15, 2019, the Special Master administering the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund determined that the funding remaining in the VCF would be insufficient to pay all pending and projected claims under current VCF policies and procedures and, consequently, announced modifications to VCF policies consistent with her statutory obligation. These cuts would be drastic, which is why Congress acted.

"The horrors of 9/11 are seared in our collective conscience and despite the passage of time, Americans are, from time to time, appropriately reminded of the tragedy of that day, the valor that shone through that day, and lifelong ailments many have as a result of their service on that day. One such moment was last month when, as a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, I heard testimony from many of those deeply affected by the events of that day, and for the need to permanently authorize this compensation fund. One of those from whom we heard was a brave American named Luis Alvarez. Luis Alvarez joined the New York Police Department in 1990, following service in the United States Marine Corps. He spent twenty years in that department, before his retirement in 2010. After 9/11, Luis spent three months at the site of the fallen World Trade Center towers, searching for survivors and for the remains of people who perished, including the hundreds of members of the New York Police Department who died on that day. Fewer than three weeks after he appeared before our committee, Luis succumbed to ailments related to his work in Ground Zero. It is a fitting tribute that the bill which passed the House today bears Luis's name.

"This bill which passed the House today enables necessary funding to pay out claims from the VCF and allows claims to be filed until October 2089; mandates that a person making a claim whose previous payment amount was reduced based on insufficient funding for the VCF can retroactively receive full funding for their claims; removes the cap on non-economic damages in circumstances when a person making a claim has undergone such excessive pain and suffering that statutory compensation is deemed insufficient; and adjusts the annual limit on economic loss compensation by indexing limits to inflation. It is my hope that it will enjoy swift passage by the Senate and is promptly enacted into law. In order to honor the life of Luis and the lives of all who have served our country because of that horrible day, I will not relent until the VCF is passed, permanently funded, and is the law of the land."

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