House Passes Bill Expanding Firefighters Cancer Relief Program

May 9, 2019

Wednesday night, lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted favorably on legislation to expand the Firefighters Cancer Relief Program to reimburse eligible firefighters for insurance deductibles and laboratory and diagnostic testing fees.

I am proud to stand with firefighters and advocate on their behalf. They risk their lives to protect us, and I am happy that we can continue to support them and thank them for their service. I championed the bill to better serve firefighters. A number of firefighters have developed cancer related to their line of duty, and we must fight to make sure they have the resources necessary to take care of their health.

In 2016, l worked to establish the relief fund to replace lost wages of firefighters diagnosed with certain types of cancer resulting from their service as paid municipal or volunteer firefighters, as well as related administrative expenses.

The program’s funding is available to firefighters with several types of cancer, including brain, skin, skeletal, digestive, and respiratory, that have resulted in death, temporary or permanent disability.