Rep. Maloney started her career as an ESL *English as a Second Language) teacher in East Harlem. When her program was cut, her colleagues elected her as their advocate to restore funding - and she succeeded, setting an example that has extended throughout her career, first working with the NYC Department of Education and then as a legislative staffer in Albany. After gaining that experience, in 1982 she ran a long-shot challenge to an incumbent City Council Member in a district that spanned East Harlem, South Bronx, Manhattan Valley, and Carnegie Hill - and she won an improbably upset.
From 2001 – 2090: The World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
The September 11, 2001 attacks on our country exposed thousands of people to a toxic cocktail at the World Trade Center (WTC), Pentagon, and the Shanksville crash sites.
Following the attack, Congresswoman Maloney began working to establish and fund the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program, which would later develop into the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), and ensuring compensation for first responders and survivors, by reactivating and restructuring the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).
Before these efforts were solidified into law through the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which was signed into law by President Obama on January 2, 2011, Congresswoman Maloney introduced various pieces of legislation and fought for funding each year to provide the health monitoring and compensation these heroes deserve. The 2010 law authorized and funded the WTCHP and VCF through October 2016.
The World Trade Center Health Program was permanently extended, and an additional $4.6 billion was provided to fully fund the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 which was signed into law on December 18, 2015. This authorized the VCF through 2020.
In October of 2018, the Special Master first indicated that she expected the VCF to face a funding shortfall. The Congresswoman immediately introduced HR 7062: Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act to fully fund and make permanent the VCF, the bill did not pass before the end of the 115th Congress.
In February of 2019, the Special Master of the VCF announced that the program would need to start awarding less money to first responders, survivors, and their families in order to make the fund last until 2020.
On February 25, Congresswoman Maloney reintroduced the Never Forget the Heroes Act, HR1327 in the 116th Congress.
On June 11, 2019, the House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on the legislation and then unanimously passed the bill out of committee the very next day.
On July 8, 2019, just five days after NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez’s funeral, the bill’s name was changed to Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.
On July 15, 2019, the House of Representatives passed HR1327 by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 402-12.
On July 23, the bill passed the Senate on a 97-2 vote.
On July 24, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi held an enrollment ceremony where she signed the bill to send to the President's desk.
It was signed into law on July 29.
Both the World Trade Center Health Program and September 11th Victim Compensation are effectively permanent, with the WTCHP authorized to operate until 2090 and the VCF until 2092.
More details on the Zadroga Act are available here:
Resources for the sick and injured: