LIers among those lobbying for 9/11 health bill in D.C.

WASHINGTON - More than 300 people, including many from Long Island, walked the halls of Congress Wednesday to plead for support for the Zadroga 9/11 health bill, which would reopen a victims' compensation fund to new claims.

Busloads of people organized by the FealGood Foundation, a first-responders advocacy group, trekked to the Capitol early in the morning to lobby for the $7.4-billion bill.

By 10 a.m., hundreds had gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol Building to demand passage at a two-hour rally. Later, the first responders, 9/11 widows and other bill supporters split into groups, each targeting a group of politicians.

Greta Helmke, whose husband, Robert, a former NYPD officer, worked at Ground Zero, was among those shaking hands and sharing their stories with congressional staff members and, in some cases, Congress members themselves.

"I looked them straight in the eyes - I don't want anyone else to become a widow," said Helmke, whose husband died in 2007 from kidney cancer. She said she was hopeful the bill would pass.

The bill, named after the late NYPD Det. James Zadroga, was voted down by the House in late July. Its sponsors, Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler, both Manhattan Democrats, have said they plan to reintroduce it next week.

But its status Wednesday remained unclear. Maloney said lawmakers will most likely vote early next week on the bill, which she said needs a majority vote of 218 in the House to pass. The bill had previously required a two-thirds vote because Democrats had sought to pass it without allowing amendments.

SEE PHOTOS9/11/2001 in photos

Rep. Peter King, who backs the bill, has scolded Democrats for seeking a supermajority in the previous vote; the tactic prevented Republicans from attaching amendments.

An aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Pelosi met Mayor Michael Bloomberg Wednesday afternoon to discuss the bill, in the company of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, "to discuss the timing and procedure under which the legislation would come to the House floor."

A Hoyer aide said in an e-mail: "With members returning from recess only [Tuesday], we are currently holding discussions on the best way to move forward on this important issue. It is our hope that we will be able to put politics aside, get bipartisan support and move forward."

At times, the crowd on the west lawn of the Capitol resembled a pep rally, with people using loudspeakers to applaud those who worked for months searching for survivors and clearing debris. Lawmakers and supporters of the bill spoke, including Nadler and Maloney, as well as Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) and King (R-Seaford).

Maloney said more than 25,000 Americans have health problems related to 9/11. "We need to treat these men and women . . . as veterans," she said. "They should be given the compensation they deserve." Later, Maloney said in an interview, "Given the tone and determination of everyone here, I believe it is going to pass."

John Gallagher, 66, of Deer Park, was among those who walked the halls of Congress members' offices, wearing a sharp dark suit with a New York City firefighter emblem affixed, an oxygen cord running around his face. Gallagher was one of the first to respond after the 9/11 attacks and one of thousands who say their health suffered as a result.

Gallagher said he's watched people lose their jobs, and others their homes, as they hoped the Zadroga bill would pass and take care of their medical bills.

"There are people who are sick and dying," he said. "It's time to stop this political bickering and pass this legislation."