Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill

Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill
From Ted Barrett and Dana Bash, CNN
December 22, 2010 4:19 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Sen. Charles Schumer hails passage as a "great day" for America
The Senate passes the revised bill on a voice vote, sending it to the House
Sen. Tom Coburn: Compromise produced a better bill, totaling $4.2 billion over 10 years
The bill would provide free treatment for health issues from working at ground zero

Washington (CNN) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a compromise version of a bill to provide free medical treatment and compensation to first responders of the September 11 terrorist attack.
The bill passed on a voice vote on what is expected to be the final day of the lame-duck session of Congress. It now goes to the House, which also is expected to approve it and send it to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
Jubilant Democrats hailed the last-minute approval as a triumph for firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who put themselves in harm's way to help others in the 2001 terrorist attack.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who acknowledged that approval of the bill was in doubt until a few hours before the vote, called it a "great day" for the nation an especially for first responders sickened by exposure to toxic pollution from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers because now they know their country will take care of them.
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Senate passes revised 9/11 first responders health benefits bill