Congress finally passed the 9/11 first responders bill, officially called the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, H.R. 847, on December 22nd. Nearly half the Congress abstained from voting on the bill, perhaps because they had already gone on Christmas vacation. Supporters weren't sure the bill would ever see the light of day. Republicans, always the first to constantly invoke 9/11 under the guise of advancing the police state and launching pre-emptive wars, strongly opposed the bill, with only 31 Republicans in Congress voting for it.
There were seven versions of the bill prior to the final version being approved by the House and Senate. It will now be sent to the President for his signature. (Readers can go here to read the bill; type in H.R. 847 in the search box).
Hidden deep inside the myriad of pages and hundreds of paragraphs droning technical details was a very interesting tidbit which may unfairly prevent 9/11 first responders from being treated.
In a section of the bill which defines WTC RESPONDERS is a caviat for those listed on Homeland Security watch lists:
House Committee Report 111-560
5) DISQUALIFICATION OF INDIVIDUALS ON TERRORIST WATCH LIST- No individual who is on the terrorist watch list maintained by the Department of Homeland Security shall qualify as an eligible WTC responder. Before enrolling any individual as a WTC responder in the WTC Program under paragraph (3), the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall determine whether the individual is on such list. [article continus here