Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer

Lobbying on heroes’ behalf

The final push to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act took place on December 21 and 22, 2010. A group from the FealGood Foundation went to Washington, D.C. on December 21, attempting to visit the offices of senators who were known to oppose the bill. That night, the group stayed in a motel on the outskirts of Washington. The next morning, the group visited some more senatorial offices — their mission complicated by the fact that many legislators had already left for the holiday. The Zadroga bill came up for a vote in the Senate shortly after 2 p.m. on December 22 and was passed by unanimous voice vote. A celebratory press conference followed, and then the FealGood group went to the House of Representatives, which approved the bill as amended by the Senate at 4:39 p.m. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand came down to the basement level of the Capitol building to see the group off. She signed autographs and posed for pictures. As they departed for the bus to take them back to New York City, they glimpsed her walking down the hall, with her shoes in her hands.