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Committee advances bill to add esophageal cancer prescreening for firefighters
Summary
The committee voted to report Senate Bill 439 favorably after firefighters and advocates described a prescreening for Barrett’s esophagus that can detect precancerous cells before they become cancerous. Sponsors said the change closes a gap left by prior screening legislation; the measure moves to the floor.
Senate Bill 439, presented to the House Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committee, would expand cancer prescreening for classified firefighters to include testing for Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition that can lead to esophageal cancer. Committee members moved the bill favorably and advanced it to the floor without a recorded roll-call vote.
The committee heard testimony from firefighter representatives who described the screening and why they consider it necessary. “It’s kinda like when you find out you have pancreatic cancer,” said Chad Major, president of Professional Firefighters, describing the seriousness of esophageal cancer in the fire-service population. Major and other witnesses explained that the prescreening detects cells that can become cancerous and that, if removed early, could prevent progression to cancer.
Major summarized how the test works: “The test — you basically swallow a camera — it’s nothing fun to do, but it sees if you have the cells that will become cancer in the future.” He said the prescreening is generally done every 10 years until age 60, and that early identification allows physicians to remove precancerous cells before cancer develops. Committee members pressed on cost and coverage. Major said contracted screening can cost roughly $1,200 per person, and speakers noted Medicare covers the test at older ages.
Supporters framed the measure as a targeted public-health intervention for a high-risk occupational group. Representative Farnham, who moved the bill favorably, said the expansion addresses ongoing occupational exposures: “They’re subject to all kinds of carcinogens every day of their service.” Several committee members spoke in support and the motion carried.
The bill’s sponsor and witnesses said the measure builds on prior firefighter-screening legislation by explicitly including esophageal prescreening and by focusing on early detection of precancerous conditions. The committee recommended the bill favorably; it will next go to the House floor for further consideration.
