Senate committee backs bill to add certain firefighting cancers to line-of-duty death benefits

Minnesota’s Senate Finance Committee recommended passage Tuesday of Senate File 4667, a bill that would expand survivors’ access to state line-of-duty death benefits when a firefighter dies from certain cancers.

Senator Seaburger introduced the measure and a committee amendment (A3) that reallocates existing resources so the bill would not carry a new direct cost, the sponsor said. “With this amendment there should be no cost to this bill,” the senator told the committee.

The bill mirrors a recent federal step — referenced in committee as the Fallen Heroes Act — that lists cancers linked to firefighting and treats them as presumptive line-of-duty deaths. The sponsor said the change follows years of work by lawmakers and firefighter organizations and aligns state benefits with federal recognition for cancer caused by occupational exposure.

Mister Turner, a fiscal staff member, told the committee the program is funded from the Peace Officers Benefit Account, which has an annual base appropriation and a one-time infusion made in 2024; he said the Department of Public Safety has determined current balances should cover expanded eligibility into the next biennium but that survivors would be recognized even if payments are delayed until funds are available.

Supporters, including senators who said they had worked on related measures, urged the committee to approve the bill. Senator Friend moved the bill, as amended, to be recommended to pass; the motion prevailed on a voice vote.

Next steps: The committee forwarded the bill to the next floor action as recommended to pass.