Committee approves firefighter cancer presumption bill with vaping language added

Members of the state’s professional firefighters association appeared before the committee to discuss language in legislation addressing presumptive workers’-compensation coverage for certain cancers among firefighters.

Sean McAllister, secretary-treasurer of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire, told the committee the bill’s tobacco-free lifestyle language was part of prior negotiated language and follows Affordable Care Act–derived language that had been agreed to previously. Committee members discussed how departmental policies already can be more stringent, and senators noted safeguards in the statute to avoid a narrow reading that would deny claims for clear, work-related cancers if a firefighter had incidental tobacco use in private settings.

Committee discussion focused on whether to add vaping to the statute’s prohibited-use phrase. McAllister said the fire-service organizations had no objection to adding vaping language. The committee adopted a committee amendment to insert “or vaping product” after the word “tobacco” on the relevant statutory line.

The committee then voted the bill out with an ought-to-pass recommendation as amended. The committee recorded a 3-to-1 roll call in committee on the passage of the bill; the measure was placed on consent for floor consideration and Senator McGee agreed to take the bill out for the body.

Ending: Senators and firefighter representatives said departmental prevention measures, yearly physicals, second-sets of gear and decontamination practices are part of broader efforts to reduce occupational cancer risk; the committee approved the statutory presumption measure with the vaping language added.