(CNN) A House panel passed a bill Wednesday to authorize additional funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund until 2090, one day after comedian Jon Stewart sharply criticized members of Congress for not attending a subcommittee hearing on the issue and gave an emotional plea to extend the funding.

The bill passed on a voice vote without opposition and now heads to the House floor for the full chamber to vote. The vote comes after the fund's administrator announced awards for pending and future claims would have to be cut unless Congress acted.

"Every sick responder and survivor should be treated with the same dignity and compassion," said House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York. "All responders and survivors, whether they got sick in 2015 or will get sick in 2025 or 2035, should be properly compensated. Congress must act to make that happen."

The current law was renewed in 2015 and is set to expire in 2020. At the time of its last renewal, Congress appropriated $4.6 billion to the fund, bringing the total appropriated amount of the fund over the years to $7.4 billion

The new bill would extend the expiration to 2090. It does not call for a specific amount of funds but whatever sums necessary through 2090.

Read More