9/11 counseling bill passes in Albany

The New York State Senate has unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Senator Serphin R. Maltese which allows victims traumatized by the events of September 11, including family members of those who died in the attacks, to receive reimbursement for counseling expenses.
“The enormous task of recovering from the terrible tragedy of September 11 is not limited to the physical scars of that fateful day. Those who personally witnessed the attacks or were involved in the recovery efforts have suffered both emotionally and physically,” said Maltese.
In the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center, then-Governor George Pataki issued a series of executive orders, which allowed the Crime Victims Board (CVB) to pay for the counseling costs of injured victims and their families. But those executive orders have now expired.
The bill, co-sponsored in the State Assembly by Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette, passed in that chamber on March 21. Once the Senate approved it on March 27, it was returned to the Assembly, which has the job of sending legislation to the desk of Governor Eliot Spitzer for his signature.