Cooler but still well above normal this week

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      Washington (AP) - Backers of a bill in Congress to help people
who became sick after working in the World Trade Center dust
created by the Sept. 11 attacks said Sunday they're optimistic the
Senate will approve the measure before the lame-duck session ends.


      "We are on the verge of a Christmas miracle," said Sen.
Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.


      Gillibrand and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are offering a
less-costly alternative to the original bill to aid 9/11 responders
and survivors, saying that they believe it will gain needed support
from the GOP. They said the Senate was expected to consider the new
bill once they finish dealing with the U.S.-Russia treaty on
nuclear weapons.


      "Barring a setback, we believe we are on the path to victory by
the end of the week," Schumer said.


      Supporters were three votes short of the 60 votes they needed
for the original bill on a recent Senate test vote.


      The House has passed the original bill but would have to
consider any new version as the final days of the lame-duck session
wear down. New York lawmakers are pressing House Democratic leaders
to stay in session long enough to vote after the Senate acts on the
new bill.


      Republicans have raised concerns about the original bill's cost
and how to pay for it. The new bill's cost is scaled back from $7.4
billion over 10 years to $6.2 billion.


      The original bill would have required multinational companies
incorporated in tax havens to pay taxes on income earned in the
U.S. Bill supporters said that would close a tax loophole, but
Republicans have branded it a corporate tax increase.


      Instead, the new bill would be paid for with a fee on some
foreign firms that get U.S. government procurement contracts. The
bill also calls for extending fees on certain firms that rely on
H-1B and L-1 visas. It would also extend fees on travelers who
don't present visa travel documents at U.S. airports.


      Schumer said he believed the new provisions to pay for the bill
would be "noncontroversial" with other lawmakers.


      New York and New Jersey lawmakers have waged a long, bitter
fight for the measure, saying it is morally wrong not to do more
for the health needs of ailing 9/11 responders and survivors.


      Researchers have found that people exposed to the thick clouds
of pulverized building materials at the trade center site have high
rates of asthma and sinus problems. Doctors aren't sure, though,
exactly how many people are ill, and scientific doubt persists
about just how many of the hundreds of illnesses are actually
linked to the trade center dust.


      The legislation is named for James Zadroga, a police detective
who died at age 34. His supporters say he died from respiratory
disease contracted at ground zero, but New York City's medical
examiner said Zadroga's lung condition was caused by prescription
drug abuse.
      

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Backers of a bill in Congress to help people
who became sick after working in the World Trade Center dust
created by the Sept. 11 attacks said Sunday they're optimistic the
Senate will approve the measure before the lame-duck session ends.

Backers of 9/11 responders bill optimistic

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