House Bill Would Compensate Anthrax Victims’ Families

A bill proposed Nov. 2 by House Democrats would allow the families of those who died from anthrax exposure to seek payments from a federal victims' compensation fund established following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, CongressDaily reports. The bill "allows families to seek compensation through the special master in the fund administered by the Justice Department, or it lets them take their claims to the legal system," said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.). Gephardt also "urged" Attorney General John Ashcroft to act soon to appoint the special master, who will oversee distribution of the fund. Meanwhile, on the Senate side, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Friday he will add a measure to a broader bioterrorism spending bill to fund nationwide smallpox vaccinations and improved public health efforts to identify and track smallpox outbreaks (Wegner/Mullins, CongressDaily, 11/2). The bioterrorism bill, authored by Sens. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), is expected to be introduced this week (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/2). For comprehensive public health information from the CDC on anthrax and other bioterrorism issues, please visit www.bt.cdc.gov.