(1) Over 410,000 people were exposed to the 
site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at 
the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City, 
including 50,000 workers from across the Nation 
who traveled to the site to lend their support. 
(2) Of these over 410,000 people, 91,000 were 
rescue and recovery workers. 
(3) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was 
one of the major health effects for individuals who 
responded to the WTC attacks. 
(4) Nineteen percent of adult enrollees (about 
71,000 people) in the WTC Health Registry report 
new PTSD symptoms, 4 times the rate typically 
seen in adults in the United States. 
(5) Of the more than 10,000 rescue and recov-
ery workers monitored for a study at the Mount 
Sinai WTC Consortium over a five-year period from 
2002 to 2007, 11% met criteria for probable PTSD, 
8.8% had probable depression, 5.0% had probable 
panic disorder, and 62% had substantial stress reac-
tion. 
(6) According to the Mount Sinai study, the 
rate of PTSD among responders to the September 
11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the WTC is signifi-
cantly greater than in the general population and is 
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on par with the rate experienced by veterans of the 
war in Afghanistan. For example, 15.5% of fire-
fighters report probable post–9/11 PTSD and fire-
fighters who worked at Ground Zero lost an average 
of 12 years of lung function. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to create 
a new federally sponsored, authorized, and funded project 
that will coordinate at a national level the collection of 
video and audio recordings of personal histories and 
testimonials of emergency responders and recovery and 
cleanup workers who responded to the September 11, 
2001, terrorist attacks that will build upon and com-
plement previous and ongoing documentary work on this 
subject, and to assist and encourage local efforts to pre-
serve the memories of such individuals so that Americans 
of all current and future generations may hear from them 
directly and better appreciate the sacrifices they made. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROJECT AT LIBRARY OF CON-
GRESS TO COLLECT VIDEO AND AUDIO RE-
CORDINGS OF HISTORIES OF 9/11 FIRST RE-
SPONDERS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROJECT.—Within the lim-
its of available funds, the Librarian of Congress (hereafter 
referred to as the ‘‘Librarian’’) shall establish an oral his-
tory project— 
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(1) to survey, during the initial phase of the 
project, collections of audio and video recordings of 
the reminiscences of 9/11 first responders that are 
housed in archives, libraries, museums, and other 
educational institutions, as well as ongoing documen-
tary work, in order to augment and complement 
these endeavors and avoid duplication of effort; 
(2) to solicit, reproduce, and collect— 
(A) video and audio recordings of personal 
histories and testimonials of 9/11 first respond-
ers; and 
(B) visual and written materials (such as 
letters, diaries, photographs, and ephemera) rel-
evant to the personal histories of individuals; 
(3) to create a collection of the recordings and 
other materials obtained, and to catalog and index 
the collection in a manner the Librarian considers 
appropriate; and 
(4) to make the collection available for public 
use through the Library of Congress, as well as 
through such other methods as the Librarian con-
sider appropriate. 
(b) USE OF AND CONSULTATION WITH OTHER ENTI-
TIES.—The Librarian may carry out the activities de-
scribed in subsection (a) through agreements and partner-
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ships entered into with other government and private enti-
ties, and may otherwise consult with interested persons 
(within the limits of available resources) and develop ap-
propriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting, ac-
quiring, and making available recordings under the project 
under this Act. 
(c) SERVICES OF EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS; AC-
CEPTANCE
OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES; ADVANCE PAY-
MENTS.—In carrying out activities described in subsection 
(a)(1), the Librarian may— 
(1) procure temporary and intermittent services 
under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code; 
(2) accept and utilize the services of volunteers 
and other uncompensated personnel and reimburse 
them for travel expenses, including per diem, as au-
thorized under section 5703 of title 5, United States 
Code; and 
(3) make advances of money and payments in 
advance in accordance with section 3324 of title 31, 
United States Code. 
(d) TIMING.—As soon as practicable after the enact-
ment of this Act, the Librarian shall begin collecting video 
and audio recordings and other materials under subsection 
(a), and shall attempt to collect the first such recordings 
from the oldest individuals involved. 
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(e) DEFINITION.—In this Act, the term ‘‘9/11 first 
responders’’ means emergency responders and recovery 
and cleanup workers who responded to the terrorist at-
tacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, in New York 
City, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon 
(including the aftermath of such attacks). 
SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT FOR PROJECT. 
(a) ENCOURAGING SOLICITATION AND ACCEPTANCE 
OF DONATIONS.—The Librarian of Congress is encour-
aged to solicit and accept donations of funds and in-kind 
contributions to support activities under section 3. 
(b) DEDICATION OF FUNDS PROVIDED TO LIBRARY 
OF CONGRESS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law— 
(1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Con-
gress to support the activities of the Librarian under 
section 3 shall be deposited entirely into an account 
established for such purpose; 
(2) the funds contained in such account shall be 
used solely to support such activities; and 
(3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit 
into such account any funds donated to the Librar-
ian which are not donated for the exclusive purpose 
of supporting such activities. 
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SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act— 
(1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 
(2) $150,000 for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years. 
Æ 
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