Survivors of 9/11 responders may qualify for scholarships

Legislation that state Assembly members Pamela R. Lampitt, Fred Scalera, Mike Panter and Patrick J. Diegnan sponsored to provide college scholarships to surviving family members of New Jerseyans who die from illnesses caused by exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack sites has been signed into law by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.

According to a press release, the new law (A-3019) extends benefits of the New Jersey World Trade Center Scholarship Program to dependents and spouses of individuals who die as a result of illnesses caused by exposure to the sites attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.

The legislators said the law will help families like that of an Ocean County man who died last January from pulmonary disease and respiratory failure that reportedly was a direct result of his extensive service at ground zero as a New York City police officer.

"New Jerseyans never will be able to erase from their minds the images of 9/11, but many residents continue to suffer acutely because of direct exposure to ground zero and the other attack sites," said Lampitt (D-Camden). "We have an obligation to help these first responders and other New Jerseyans who contracted deadly illnesses in the aftermath of Sept. 11."

Under the law, a survivor will be eligible for a scholarship to help cover the cost of undergraduate study upon providing medical records or other documentation showing that his or her relative's death was caused by exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attack sites.

"Police, fire and EMT personnel throughout the region responded to ground zero without thought to their own personal safety and well-being," said Scalera (D-Essex and Bergen), who serves as deputy fire chief in Nutley. "We must recognize the sacrifices of these brave men and women even if they did not perish on 9/11 or shortly thereafter."

According to the press release, the new law augments the existing program that made available annual college scholarships to children and spouses of people who were New Jersey residents on Sept. 11, 2001, and killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pa., or as a result of injuries from the attacks.

"The loss of a parent or spouse to the terrorist attacks is a tragedy whether the loved one died on 9/11 or only recently," said Panter (D-Monmouth and Mercer). "Providing college scholarships cannot in any way make up for that personal loss, but it can help families survive and make progress in their own lives. It also is a fitting tribute to the brave New Jerseyans who responded in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and have since struggled with deadly illnesses."

"A college education can open the door to a lifetime of opportunity," said Diegnan (D-Middlesex). "Expanding the scholarship program ensures that New Jerseyans are not cut off from achieving their dreams because a 9/11-related illness took their spouses or parents."

According to the press release, a recent study showed the average decline in lung function among firefighters who were at ground zero one year after the terrorist attacks was equivalent to 12 years of aging.