BILL NUMBER: S9551

SPONSOR: KAVANAGH
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring
certain businesses to notify past and present employees of eligibility
for the September eleventh victim compensation fund

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill would require businesses with fifty or more employees to noti-
fy past and present employees of eligibility for the September eleventh
victim compensation fund.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill amends the General Business Law by adding a new
Section 399-rr. Subdivision 1 of the new Section defines "eligible time
period," "exposure zone," and "September eleventh victim compensation
fund." Subdivision 2 of the new Section requires businesses with fifty
or more employees that operated within the exposure zone in the after-
              

math of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 to notify their
employees of their eligibility for the September eleventh victim compen-
sation fund.

Section two of the bill sets forth the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, people who worked in
Lower Manhattan and in certain other places were subjected to numerous
toxic pollutants, which in time have proven to be harmful to their
health and wellbeing.

The federal government created the September 11th Victim Compensation
Fund ("VCF") on September 22, 2001 to provide compensation for individ-
uals, or personal representative of deceased individuals, who suffered
physical harm or were killed as a result of the 9/11 attacks or the
clean-up and recovery operations in their aftermath. Congress renewed
and expanded the VCF with passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and
Compensation Act of 2010 and subsequent legislation enacted in 2015 and
2019.

While a common perception is that the VCF is exclusively for first
responders who were present on and after September 11th, the reality is
that individuals who were in the exposure zone from September 11, 2001
through May 30, 2002 are entitled for support from the VCF.

Many people who are eligible for aid from the VCF are unaware of this.
Over 80% of first responders have enrolled, while less than 8% of the
office and retail workers have utilized the VCF. By requiring larger
companies to inform employees who worked in the exposure area during the
eligible time period about the support that they are entitled to, this
bill will help ensure that the VCF serves the purpose of ensuring that
people get critical healthcare they may need.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.