I'll have much more up soon, but for now, I've been paying attention to several different things, one of which is the Health Care Bill for 9/11 responders which as you no doubt already know failed to pass.
H.R.847:
To amend the Public Health Service Act to extend and improve protections and services to individuals directly impacted by the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001, and for other purposes.
http://www.opencongress.org/vote/2010/h/491
The Official Summary of the Bill is as follows;
2/4/2009--Introduced.James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide:
(1) medical monitoring and treatment benefits to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and
(2) initial health evaluation, monitoring, and treatment benefits to residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to:
(1) implement a quality assurance program;
(2) establish the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee;
(3) establish the WTC Responders Steering Committee and the WTC Community Program Steering Committee;
(4) provide for education and outreach on services under the WTC program;
(5) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions;
(6) conduct research on physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks; and
(7) extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the Department to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks.Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to:
(1) make individuals eligible for compensation under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 for harm as a result of debris removal; and
(2) extend the deadline for making a claim for compensation.
Here is the final vote:
Ayes: 255 (Democrat: 243; Republican: 12)
Nays: 159 (Democrat: 4; Republican: 155)
Abstained: 18 (Democrat: 7; Republican: 11)
The Democrats instituted a procedure that would allow a straight vote, with no amendments tacked onto the bill, but would require a 2/3 majority of the vote to pass.
To give you an example of how important this bill is to those responders, lets have a look at information on the health issues that have now been studied.
Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC has done an extensive program trying to detail how many got sick after 9/11 (first responders and construction workers primarily), and the number they came up with is 70% of everyone who responded down there has some form of lung ailment or cancer.ABC News Story of Initial Findings in 2006
This is some of the final findings of the report. Of note, 8% of workers developed asthma, they're 2.3 times more likely to develop asthma later in life, and we have a higher rate of terminal cancers than the general populace.
World Trade Center Medical Monitoring &Treatment Program
This is a quote from the Mount Sinai Press Release based on the studies that had been done:
“Many who worked at Ground Zero in the early days after the attacks have sustained
serious and lasting health problems as a direct result of their exposure to the environment
there,” said Dennis Charney, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, Mount Sinai School
of Medicine, which has been running a number of medical and mental health programs
serving responders since July 2002. “This study scientifically confirms high rates of
respiratory problems in a large number of responders – including construction workers, law
enforcement officers, utilities workers and public sector workers.”
Mount Sinai Medical Center Press Release
Now the Republicans, or 155 of them, along with 4 Democrats voted against this bill. There are excuses flying around as to who did or didn't do the right thing, and the Republicans wanted to be able to add amendments to the bill and have it voted on that way, which the Democrats didn't want to do.
The bottom line is and was, if the bill is good and worth having, then vote yes, if you disagree, vote no.
These are the "No" votes:
Democrats Voting 'Nay'
Rep. Melissa Bean [D, IL-8] Nay
Rep. Robert Berry [D, AR-1] Nay
Rep. Bobby Bright [D, AL-2] Nay
Rep. Jim Cooper [D, TN-5] Nay
Republicans Voting 'Nay'
Rep. Robert Aderholt [R, AL-4] Nay
Rep. Rodney Alexander [R, LA-5] Nay
Rep. Steve Austria [R, OH-7] Nay
Rep. Michele Bachmann [R, MN-6] Nay
Rep. Spencer Bachus [R, AL-6] Nay
Rep. James Barrett [R, SC-3] Nay
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R, MD-6] Nay
Rep. Joe Barton [R, TX-6] Nay
Rep. Judy Biggert [R, IL-13] Nay
Rep. Brian Bilbray [R, CA-50] Nay
Rep. Gus Bilirakis [R, FL-9] Nay
Rep. Rob Bishop [R, UT-1] Nay
Rep. Marsha Blackburn [R, TN-7] Nay
Rep. Roy Blunt [R, MO-7] Nay
Rep. John Boehner [R, OH-8] Nay
Rep. Jo Bonner [R, AL-1] Nay
Rep. Mary Bono Mack [R, CA-45] Nay
Rep. John Boozman [R, AR-3] Nay
Rep. Charles Boustany [R, LA-7] Nay
Rep. Kevin Brady [R, TX-8] Nay
Rep. Paul Broun [R, GA-10] Nay
Rep. Henry Brown [R, SC-1] Nay
Rep. Virginia Brown-Waite [R, FL-5] Nay
Rep. Vern Buchanan [R, FL-13] Nay
Rep. Michael Burgess [R, TX-26] Nay
Rep. Dan Burton [R, IN-5] Nay
Rep. Stephen Buyer [R, IN-4] Nay
Rep. Ken Calvert [R, CA-44] Nay
Rep. David Camp [R, MI-4] Nay
Rep. John Campbell [R, CA-48] Nay
Rep. Eric Cantor [R, VA-7] Nay
Rep. Shelley Capito [R, WV-2] Nay
Rep. John Carter [R, TX-31] Nay
Rep. Bill Cassidy [R, LA-6] Nay
Rep. Michael Castle [R, DE-0] Nay
Rep. Jason Chaffetz [R, UT-3] Nay
Rep. Howard Coble [R, NC-6] Nay
Rep. Mike Coffman [R, CO-6] Nay
Rep. Tom Cole [R, OK-4] Nay
Rep. Michael Conaway [R, TX-11] Nay
Rep. Ander Crenshaw [R, FL-4] Nay
Rep. John Culberson [R, TX-7] Nay
Rep. Geoff Davis [R, KY-4] Nay
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart [R, FL-25] Nay
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart [R, FL-21] Nay
Rep. Charles Djou [R, HI-1] Nay
Rep. David Dreier [R, CA-26] Nay
Rep. John Duncan [R, TN-2] Nay
Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R, MI-3] Nay
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R, MO-8] Nay
Rep. Mary Fallin [R, OK-5] Nay
Rep. Jeff Flake [R, AZ-6] Nay
Rep. John Fleming [R, LA-4] Nay
Rep. Randy Forbes [R, VA-4] Nay
Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R, NE-1] Nay
Rep. Virginia Foxx [R, NC-5] Nay
Rep. Trent Franks [R, AZ-2] Nay
Rep. Elton Gallegly [R, CA-24] Nay
Rep. Scott Garrett [R, NJ-5] Nay
Rep. Jim Gerlach [R, PA-6] Nay
Rep. John Gingrey [R, GA-11] Nay
Rep. Louis Gohmert [R, TX-1] Nay
Rep. Robert Goodlatte [R, VA-6] Nay
Rep. Kay Granger [R, TX-12] Nay
Rep. Samuel Graves [R, MO-6] Nay
Rep. Tom Graves [R, GA-9] Nay
Rep. Ralph Hall [R, TX-4] Nay
Rep. Gregg Harper [R, MS-3] Nay
Rep. Doc Hastings [R, WA-4] Nay
Rep. Dean Heller [R, NV-2] Nay
Rep. Jeb Hensarling [R, TX-5] Nay
Rep. Walter Herger [R, CA-2] Nay
Rep. Duncan Hunter [R, CA-52] Nay
Rep. Bob Inglis [R, SC-4] Nay
Rep. Darrell Issa [R, CA-49] Nay
Rep. Lynn Jenkins [R, KS-2] Nay
Rep. Samuel Johnson [R, TX-3] Nay
Rep. Timothy Johnson [R, IL-15] Nay
Rep. Jim Jordan [R, OH-4] Nay
Rep. Steve King [R, IA-5] Nay
Rep. Jack Kingston [R, GA-1] Nay
Rep. John Kline [R, MN-2] Nay
Rep. Doug Lamborn [R, CO-5] Nay
Rep. Thomas Latham [R, IA-4] Nay
Rep. Steven LaTourette [R, OH-14] Nay
Rep. Robert Latta [R, OH-5] Nay
Rep. Christopher Lee [R, NY-26] Nay
Rep. Jerry Lewis [R, CA-41] Nay
Rep. John Linder [R, GA-7] Nay
Rep. Frank Lucas [R, OK-3] Nay
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer [R, MO-9] Nay
Rep. Cynthia Lummis [R, WY-0] Nay
Rep. Daniel Lungren [R, CA-3] Nay
Rep. Connie Mack [R, FL-14] Nay
Rep. Donald Manzullo [R, IL-16] Nay
Rep. Kenny Marchant [R, TX-24] Nay
Rep. Michael McCaul [R, TX-10] Nay
Rep. Tom McClintock [R, CA-4] Nay
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter [R, MI-11] Nay
Rep. Patrick McHenry [R, NC-10] Nay
Rep. Howard McKeon [R, CA-25] Nay
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers [R, WA-5] Nay
Rep. John Mica [R, FL-7] Nay
Rep. Jeff Miller [R, FL-1] Nay
Rep. Gary Miller [R, CA-42] Nay
Rep. Sue Myrick [R, NC-9] Nay
Rep. Randy Neugebauer [R, TX-19] Nay
Rep. Devin Nunes [R, CA-21] Nay
Rep. Pete Olson [R, TX-22] Nay
Rep. Ronald Paul [R, TX-14] Nay
Rep. Erik Paulsen [R, MN-3] Nay
Rep. Mike Pence [R, IN-6] Nay
Rep. Thomas Petri [R, WI-6] Nay
Rep. Joseph Pitts [R, PA-16] Nay
Rep. Todd Platts [R, PA-19] Nay
Rep. Ted Poe [R, TX-2] Nay
Rep. Bill Posey [R, FL-15] Nay
Rep. Tom Price [R, GA-6] Nay
Rep. Adam Putnam [R, FL-12] Nay
Rep. Dennis Rehberg [R, MT-0] Nay
Rep. Dave Reichert [R, WA-8] Nay
Rep. Phil Roe [R, TN-1] Nay
Rep. Michael Rogers [R, MI-8] Nay
Rep. Harold Rogers [R, KY-5] Nay
Rep. Michael Rogers [R, AL-3] Nay
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [R, CA-46] Nay
Rep. Thomas Rooney [R, FL-16] Nay
Rep. Peter Roskam [R, IL-6] Nay
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R, FL-18] Nay
Rep. Edward Royce [R, CA-40] Nay
Rep. Paul Ryan [R, WI-1] Nay
Rep. Steve Scalise [R, LA-1] Nay
Rep. Jean Schmidt [R, OH-2] Nay
Rep. Aaron Schock [R, IL-18] Nay
Rep. James Sensenbrenner [R, WI-5] Nay
Rep. Peter Sessions [R, TX-32] Nay
Rep. John Shimkus [R, IL-19] Nay
Rep. William Shuster [R, PA-9] Nay
Rep. Michael Simpson [R, ID-2] Nay
Rep. Lamar Smith [R, TX-21] Nay
Rep. Adrian Smith [R, NE-3] Nay
Rep. Clifford Stearns [R, FL-6] Nay
Rep. John Sullivan [R, OK-1] Nay
Rep. Lee Terry [R, NE-2] Nay
Rep. Glenn Thompson [R, PA-5] Nay
Rep. William Thornberry [R, TX-13] Nay
Rep. Patrick Tiberi [R, OH-12] Nay
Rep. Michael Turner [R, OH-3] Nay
Rep. Frederick Upton [R, MI-6] Nay
Rep. Greg Walden [R, OR-2] Nay
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland [R, GA-3] Nay
Rep. Edward Whitfield [R, KY-1] Nay
Rep. Addison Wilson [R, SC-2] Nay
Rep. Rob Wittman [R, VA-1] Nay
Rep. Frank Wolf [R, VA-10] Nay
Now an important point in all of this is to remember this key component of the bill:
It was completely paid for by closing a tax loophole that allowed multinational corporations incorporated in tax havens to avoid paying taxes on money earned on U.S. soil.
Republicans wanted to attach amendments that would, among other things, extend the tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of Americans. This would have made the bill no longer budget neutral.
So 155 Republicans & 4 Democrats VOTED NO on this bill.
Playing politics with hero's lives is disgusting and we all should make sure that they are not be allowed to forget it.
