Proposed Bill To 'Pave Way' For 9/11 Workers To Benefit: Bergen Sen.

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The toll the September 11 terrorist attacks took on the state of New Jersey is "massive," according to legal advocate for 9/11 victims' rights Michael Barasch.

Attorney Barasch applauded the New Jersey Senate Labor Committee for unanimously passing Senate Bill 2965, which provides workers' compensation benefits for public safety workers who developed 9/11-related illness or injury, including cancer or reproductive organ damage.

Sponsored by state Sen. Joe Lagana (D-Bergen), the bill passed in the Senate Labor Committee — of which Lagana is a member — with a 5-0 vote, and was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

"I'm deeply proud S2965 moved through the Committee," Lagana said in a statement to Patch, "and I very much look forward to the entire senate one day taking it before a full floor vote."

If passed, the bill would eliminate statutes of limitations, the District 38 senator said, and would "pave the way" for first responders to receive benefits to which they are entitled.

“When the horror of 9/11 first struck our nation’s soil, thousands of first responders immediately came to the rescue of their fellow Americans," Lagana added. "Two decades later, even as these heroes continue to suffer physically as a result of their bravery, many still have not been duly compensated."

10,000 people, as of September 2018, had been diagnosed with 9/11-related cancers, and 2,000 had died from related illnesses. As it can take years for exposure to chemicals in the 9/11 dust to result in health conditions, the "full toll of the attacks" has yet to be calculated, TIME Magazine reported.

Lagana, the former Paramus Council President (2012-13), and attorney Barasch suggested the bill is an important acknowledgement of the impact 9/11 had on New Jersey.

"9/11 was not only a New York issue," said Barasch, who has advocated for more than 25,000 members of the 9/11 community. "So many of our friends and neighbors in New Jersey came to Ground Zero to assist with rescue, recovery and rebuilding efforts—and so many more came to Lower Manhattan to work or to study after the EPA said the air was safe."

Barasch said he looks forward to the bill making its way through the legislature and onto the governor's desk.

"We implore the state to do even more," the attorney added, "to let everyday citizens know that they, too, are 9/11 survivors and entitled to the same benefits as our brave first responders."