Committee adopts amendment and advances bill to fund firefighter cancer screenings

The Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committee adopted an amendment and advanced House Bill 2394 on the motion of the chair, moving the firefighter health measure to the House floor for consideration.

Representative Cirici introduced the bill, saying it would provide cancer screening to both volunteer and paid firefighters because of their exposures on the job. "We're going to give you a scan for cancer because of the fires that you're going into and what you're exposed to," Representative Cirici said, urging the committee to approve the measure.

The chair brought amendment A003435, which "moves ownership of the program from the Department of Health to the Department of Insurance as well as cleaning up some of the eligibility language," and the committee adopted the amendment without recorded negative votes. "A003435 is adopted," the chair stated.

Members raised questions about who would be covered. Representative Stender said some state employees who train firefighters, DCNR wildfire crews and unaffiliated urban search-and-rescue personnel might fall into gray areas of the bill's definitions and asked that those groups be considered in subsequent drafting. "I think they fit the same logic in your bill," Stender said, urging follow-up language changes.

Members also pressed on cost. Chairman Gillan asked how the bill's $50,000,000 figure was derived. Representative Cirici replied that the number was a placeholder based on several studies and an estimate of worst-case costs, and that changing screening frequency from annual to every three years reduced projected costs. "We went a little bit higher than what we thought... we think it'll be less than the $50,000,000," Cirici said.

Several legislators suggested funding strategies to sustain the program, including moving the expense to the general fund rather than the rainy day fund and considering industry fees to support long-term solvency. Representative Scott recommended assessing fees on products that contribute to exposure as one funding option.

After discussion and the adoption of technical changes, the committee voted to advance the bill as amended to the House floor for further consideration.

What happens next: HB 2394 will appear on the House floor calendar; committee members said they intend to continue refining eligibility and funding language as the bill moves through the legislative process.