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WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) joined with his colleagues in the House today to pass H.R. 1327, the “Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alverez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act” by a vote of 402-12. This legislation extends the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) until 2092, similar to the timeline of the World Trade Center Health Program, and reverses all cuts in compensation for both current and future claims, taking long-overdue action to provide financial security and support for our 9/11 first responders, survivors and families.

“Our United States Congress has a solemn duty to ensure the selfless first responders who answered the call and risked their lives during and after the September 11^th terror attacks receive the care and resources they need, now and forever,” said Tonko. “Their sacrifice was not limited to just the days, weeks and months after the attacks. America’s firefighters, police and rescue workers came from all across New York and throughout the country to Ground Zero to do what needed to be done. Luis Alvarez, an NYPD detective and father of three, spent some three months working at Ground Zero. After 69 rounds of chemotherapy, he passed away at age 53 from 9/11-related cancer. Luis was just one of many exposed to the health risks at Ground Zero on the day of and months following the attack. I am proud to vote for this permanent reauthorization today to reaffirm our nation’s commitment to never forget, and to honor the service and sacrifice of some of our nation’s greatest heroes and their families.”

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