The petition
Shortly after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, the United States Congress set aside one billion dollars for the express purpose of reimbursing the injured workers who were exposed to toxic fumes, smoke and particulate matter while working in and around the site of the World Trade Center after 9/11. In Pub. L. No. 108-7, 117 Stat. 517, 518, (Feb. 12, 2003), a spending appropriation bill, Congress directed that FEMA “provide, from funds…. up to $1,000,000,000 to establish a captive insurance company or other appropriate insurance mechanism for claims arising from debris removal, which may include claims made by city employees.” The funds were distributed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) to the mechanism created by New York State for the purpose of administering those claims, the WTC Captive Insurance Co., Inc. (“WTCC”).
Since its inception, the WTCC has consistently violated the Congressional intent that allocated its funding by refusing to consider the claims of the thousands of firefighters, police officers, iron workers and other construction personnel who have contracted life-threatening illnesses as a result of their work at the WTC site. Instead, the Captive (and the City of New York) has consistently argued in court papers and in the press that it exists solely for the purpose of defending the City and its contractors in litigation brought by those injured workers. Since its inception, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spend on lawyer’s fees and claims administration, while a minimal number of claims have actually been paid.
Let's hire KENNETH R. FEINBERG to head the fund so that our rescue workers can get their money!
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