The House is nearing a vote on a bill that would pay billions of dollars to people exposed to toxic World Trade Center dust in the Sept. 11 attacks.
The House is expected to take up the measure Thursday. It's sponsored by New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney and would provide health care for more of the 9/11 first responders and others sickened by toxins emanating from the ruins of the World Trade Center.
The cost has been estimated at $7.4 billion for the first 10 years. Members of Congress from New York and New Jersey have been pushing such a measure for years.
The legislation is named for James Zadroga, a New York City detective who died at age 34 in 2006 from respiratory disease contracted during rescue operations at ground zero.
Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
