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Obama signs Sept. 11 workers' health bill

Family members of the victims of 9/11 write notes and leave flowers while they gather around the Ground Zero reflecting pool at the site where the twin towers once stood on the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, in New York City on September 11, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo
1 of 3 | Family members of the victims of 9/11 write notes and leave flowers while they gather around the Ground Zero reflecting pool at the site where the twin towers once stood on the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, in New York City on September 11, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo | License Photo

HONOLULU, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Sunday signed the health bill for Sept. 11 workers while on vacation in Hawaii, the White House said.

"I was honored to sign the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to ensure that rescue and recovery workers, residents, students, and others suffering from health consequences related to the World Trade Center disaster have access to the medical monitoring and treatment they need," Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

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"We will never forget the selfless courage demonstrated by the firefighters, police officers, and first responders who risked their lives to save others. I believe this is a critical step for those who continue to bear the physical scars of those attacks."

No signing ceremony was held.

A White House staffer flew a copy of the legislation from Washington to Oahu so the president could sign it at his vacation rental in Kailua.

"It came out with a member of the staff so that it could be signed in a timely fashion," spokesman Bill Burton told CNN.

The legislation is named after a New York police officer who died at the age of 34 from a respiratory illness blamed on inhaling toxic dust at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that toppled the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

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The legislation provides health coverage to first responders who have been seeking federal help for years. After a fight with Republicans who said it was creating a new entitlement program, it passed the lame-duck Congress in December.

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