I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 566
To provide protections and services to certain individuals after the terrorist 
attack on September 11, 2001, in New York City, in the State of 
New York, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2005
Mrs. MALONEY (for herself, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. KIND, 
Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mrs. MCCARTHY, and Mr. HINCHEY) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide protections and services to certain individuals 
after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, in 
New York City, in the State of New York, and for 
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Remember 9/11 Health 
Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Thousands of rescue workers who responded 
to the areas devastated by the terrorist attacks of 
September 11th and local residents continue to suf-
fer significant medical problems as a result of com-
promised air quality and other toxins at the attack 
sites. 
(2) To date, the Mount Sinai Center for Occu-
pational and Environmental Medicine in New York 
City has examined approximately 9,000 first re-
sponders and Ground Zero workers. Of those exam-
ined, more than 50 percent show physical or mental 
health problems that are directly related to their 
work at the World Trade Center and Fresh Kill 
sites. 
(3) It appears that no Federal program exists 
to support fully the medical treatment of those who 
responded to the September 11th aftermath and who 
continue to experience health problems as a result. 
(4) A significant portion of those who re-
sponded to the September 11th aftermath have no 
health insurance, lost their health insurance as a re-
sult of the attacks, or have inadequate health insur-
ance for the medical conditions they developed as a
result of recovery work at the World Trade Center 
site. 
(5) Rescue workers and volunteers seeking 
workers compensation apparently have had their ap-
plications denied, delayed for months, or redirected, 
instead of receiving assistance in a timely and sup-
portive manner. 
(6) Confusion still exists within the population 
of recovery workers and first responders about where 
to obtain compensation for income losses and med-
ical costs related to their service in the September 
11th recovery effort. 
(7) Residents of the City of New York need to 
be included in any health monitoring program to 
best protect their long-term health. 
(8) Federal aid allocated for the monitoring of 
rescue workers’ health may need to be increased to 
ensure the long-term study of health impacts of 9/
11. 
(9) Research on the health impacts of the dev-
astation caused by the September 11th terrorist at-
tacks has started, with initial findings of relation-
ships between the air quality from Ground Zero and 
a host of health impacts including, lower pregnancy 
rates, lower birth weights in babies born nine
months after the disaster, and higher rates of res-
piratory and lung disorders in workers and residents 
near Ground Zero. 
(10) Further research is needed to evaluate 
more comprehensively the health impacts of Sep-
tember 11 and research is needed regarding possible 
treatment for the illnesses and injuries of September 
11. 
(11) The Federal response to medical issues 
arising from September 11th response efforts need 
improvement to meet the needs of rescue workers 
and local residents still suffering health problems 
from the disaster. 
(12) A Federal agency or official needs to be 
designated to coordinate and monitor the overall 
Federal response to the health impacts of September 
11. 
SEC. 3. HEALTH CARE INSURANCE. 
Subtitle B of title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 630. PROTECTIONS FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS. 
‘‘(a) WORK INJURIES.—For the purposes of sub-
chapter I of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, 
relating to compensation to Federal employees for work
injuries, eligible recipients as defined in subsection (d) 
under this Act shall be deemed civil employees of the 
United States within the meaning of the term ‘employee’ 
as defined in section 8101 of title 5, United States Code, 
and the provisions of that subchapter shall apply. 
‘‘(b) PERSONAL PROPERTY.—For the purpose of 
claims relating to damage to, or loss of, personal property 
of an eligible recipient incident to service, an eligible re-
cipient under this Act shall be considered in the same 
manner as if such eligible recipient was a civil employee 
of the Government of the United States, except that an 
eligible recipient shall not be responsible for the payment 
of any health care expenses, including mental health cov-
erage, prescription drugs, or copayments for all health and 
mental health care expenses that result from exposure to 
the adverse conditions after the terrorist attack on Sep-
tember 11, 2001. 
‘‘(c) GENERAL RULE.—Except as otherwise provided 
in this section, an eligible recipient shall not be deemed 
a Federal employee and shall not be subject to the provi-
sions of law relating to Federal employment, including 
those relating to hours of work, rates of compensation, 
leave, unemployment compensation, and Federal employee 
benefits. 
‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT DEFINED.—
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE
RECIPIENT.—Except as pro-
vided in paragraph (2), for purposes of this section, 
the term ‘eligible recipient’ means—
‘‘(A) emergency service personnel and res-
cue and recovery personnel who responded to 
the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sep-
tember 11, 2001, in New York City, in the 
State of New York, any time during the period 
of September 11, 2001, through August 31, 
2002; 
‘‘(B) any other worker or volunteer who re-
sponded to such attacks, including—
‘‘(i) a police officer; 
‘‘(ii) a firefighter; 
‘‘(iii) an emergency medical techni-
cian; 
‘‘(iv) a transit worker; 
‘‘(v) any participating member of an 
urban search and rescue team; 
‘‘(vi) a Federal or State employee; 
‘‘(vii) any other relief or rescue work-
er or volunteer whom the Secretary deter-
mines to be appropriate; 
‘‘(viii) a person who assisted in the re-
covery of human remains; and