A Yonkers assemblyman is pushing his state Senate colleagues to pass a bill for Sept. 11 workers that many call long overdue.
Jimmy Nolan, of Yonkers, was one of thousands of volunteers who rushed to Ground Zero to help following the terrorist attacks. It would be two years before Nolan learned that his heroism would cost him much more than his time.
Nolan, a carpenter, says he still has fluid in his lungs and that he suffers from severe lung ailments. He says he's now allergic to wood, dust and rubber.
"I just want to know that my wife and my kids are taken care of one day," Nolan says of his four boys and wife. "I did the right thing by this city and the country."Assemblyman Mike Spano wants the Senate to OK "Jimmy Nolan's Law." The Assembly has already put its stamp of approval on the measure.
The bill would extend the amount of time Sept. 11 responders have to file workers' compensation cases. The deadline has passed for many of them.The state Senate is expected to meet sometime at the end of July or early August for a special session. Spano hopes the law will top lawmakers' agenda, saying people like Nolan need help paying their medical bills.