42 U.S.C. § 300mm–61 — World Trade Center Health Program Fund

(a) Establishment of Fund (1) In general: This section sets up the World Trade Center Health Program Fund, called "the Fund" in this section. (2) Funding: Congress must put money into the Fund every year from 2016 through 2090, out of general Treasury money. Two parts make up this money: (A) The federal share. For fiscal years 2016 through 2025, the law lists exact dollar amounts, starting at $330,000,000 in 2016 and rising each year to $570,000,000 in 2025. For fiscal years 2026 through 2040, follow these steps: take last year's federal share amount and multiply it by 1.07. Then multiply that result by a ratio: the number of people enrolled in the WTC Program on July 1 of last year, divided by the number enrolled on July 1 of the year before that. For fiscal years 2041 through 2090, take last year's amount and increase it by the percentage that consumer prices (CPI-U) rose over the 12 months ending in March of the prior year. (B) The New York City share. This equals whatever amount New York City contributes under its contract described in section 300mm–41(d). (3) Contract requirement. (A) No money can leave the Fund unless New York City has signed the required contract. (B) If New York City fails to pay what the contract requires: the government can still recover that unpaid amount through the other section's remedy; the Fund still pays out despite the missed payment; and the federal share does not increase to cover the gap. (4) Amounts from prior fiscal years. Any money that was deposited or set aside for the Fund in earlier years, under the rules as they existed before December 18, 2015, but was never spent, stays in or goes into the Fund. (5) Amounts to remain available until expended. Money placed in the Fund for a given fiscal year stays available to spend for that year and every year after it, through 2090. (b) Mandatory funds for monitoring, initial health evaluations, treatment, and claims processing (1) In general. The money deposited under subsection (a)(2) is automatically available — Congress does not need to appropriate it again — to pay for the WTC Program's monitoring, health evaluations, treatment, and the other related activities listed in the section. (2) Limitation on mandatory funding. The government does not owe more money than what is actually available from this Fund, or from three other related funds (the Supplemental Fund, the Special Fund, and the Pentagon/Shanksville Fund). (3) Limitation on authorization for further appropriations. Congress has not authorized spending beyond what's available from this Fund or those same three related funds. (4) Limitation for research cohort for emerging health impacts on youth. Even though paragraph (1) makes Fund money automatically available, none of it may be used for fiscal years 2023 through 2032 to pay for the youth research described in section 300mm–51(c). (c) Limits on spending for certain purposes Of the money made available under subsection (b)(1), no more than the following amounts may go to each of these purposes: (1) Surviving immediate family members of firefighters. For the specific WTC responders described in section 300mm–21(a)(2)(A)(ii): the fiscal year 2016 amount was whatever it was under the old rule before December 18, 2015; each later year's amount equals the prior year's amount, increased by that year's CPI increase. (2) The WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee. $200,000 for fiscal year 2016, then increased each later year by that year's CPI increase. (3) Education and outreach. $750,000 every year starting in fiscal year 2016 — this amount does not increase with CPI. (4) Uniform data collection, plus reimbursing Data Centers for costs under their contracts: the fiscal year 2016 amount followed the old rule; fiscal year 2017 was $15,000,000; each later year's amount equals the prior year's amount, increased by that year's CPI increase. (5) Research regarding certain health conditions. Same pattern as family members of firefighters above: the 2016 amount followed the old rule, and later years grow by CPI. (6) The World Trade Center Health Registry. Same pattern again: the 2016 amount followed the old rule, and later years grow by CPI.