Melissa S. Razdrih
The House passed a bill to extend 9/11 victim compensation and Jimmy Patronis has something to say about it.
The Never Forget the Heroes Act passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill extends the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, created by the government after the attack, until 2090.
Florida’s CFO and Fire Marshal, Patronis, released a statement Friday:
“On Sept. 11, 2001, our brave first responders ran toward unbelievable danger without hesitation to save lives when we needed them most. These brave men and women sacrifice every day to protect our communities, and tragically, so many make the ultimate sacrifice.
“I’m thankful that the House passed this important legislation and took this vital step in permanently protecting those impacted on 9/11. These heroes deserve our everlasting support and must never be forgotten.”
Patronis isn’t the only person hopeful about the bill, but the fight for victims rights doesn’t end here according to Former Daily Show host turned 9/11-survivor advocate, Jon Stewart.
He said to New York media outlets:
“Passing this in the Senate in two weeks — and we’re going to hold Sen. [Mitch] McConnell to his word — will be a chance to exhale, but it doesn’t fix the grief and the suffering that they will continue to experience going forward.”
Many took to Twitter to make statements about the bill’s passage, including Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who tweeted:
Today, we recognize the brave heroes of 9/11, who selflessly came to our nation’s aide during its time of need. It is time to ensure their courage & sacrifice is honored by passing a fully-funded compensation fund. #Renew911VCF pic.twitter.com/gxTO3ukfMU
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 12, 2019
Patronis, who serves the state of Florida as a fire marshal, is dedicated to “protecting life, property and the environment from the devastation of fire,” according to the Florida Fire Marshal website.
Emergency preparedness and domestic security are part of the job, which his office describes as working every day to “fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state.”
