RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bill to help Marines and family members sickened by contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune over three decades heads to President Barack Obama. The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a Senate version of the Janey Ensminger Act by voice vote. The bill is named for a girl who died of a rare form of leukemia in 1985 at the age of 9. Her father, Jerry Ensminger of Elizabethtown, led the fight to get health care for those who were exposed and to get information about the contamination released. The bill covers Marines and family members who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1957 to 1987. Health officials believe as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to tainted water before the wells were closed more than 20 years ago. Ensminger says the bill is confirmation by Congress that people were harmed at Lejeune. A Marine Corps spokeswoman didn't return messages seeking comment. |