Provides five hundred employment slots for first responders who performed their duties in the area of the September eleventh, two thousand one terrorist attacks

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Steve Rhoads says this is needed

According to the Mesothelioma Center, as of September 2025, over 48,500 first responders and survivors have been diagnosed with 9/11-related cancers. More than 142,000 individuals are enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) for illnesses, with over 63,000 having at least one condition stemming from toxic exposure, including respiratory and digestive issues related to the attack on September 11, 2001, and its aftermath. A number of these individuals have sustained a permanent full or partial disability related to such exposure, limiting their employability in the competitive marketplace. This legislation would authorize the Commissioner of Civil Service to determine up to five hundred full or part-time positions with the State which will be classified as non-competitive for those first responders who have sustained a service-related disability due to direct injury or exposure to toxins related to the September 11, 2001, attack and are otherwise qualified to perform satisfactorily, the duties of any such position. As a State, we should not forget the significant and continuing sacri- fices made by our first responders who answered the call on September 11, 2001, and/or continued to perform their duties within the 9/11 expo- sure zone in the aftermath of the attacks and are now suffering with related disabilities. By holding aside positions with the State to be filled by those heroes, we recognize their sacrifice and provide a path- way to gainful employment consistent with their remaining ability levels.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.