IIB 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2499 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
MAY 12, 2022 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
AN ACT 
To amend chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, to 
create a presumption that a disability or death of a 
Federal employee in fire protection activities caused by 
any of certain diseases is the result of the performance 
of such employees duty, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Firefighters 
Fairness Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. CERTAIN DISEASES PRESUMED TO BE WORK-RE-
LATED CAUSE OF DISABILITY OR DEATH FOR 
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES IN FIRE PROTECTION 
ACTIVITIES. 
(a) PRESUMPTION RELATING
TO EMPLOYEES
IN 
FIRE PROTECTION ACTIVITIES.—Subchapter I of chapter 
81 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after section 8143a the following: 
‘‘§ 8143b. Employees in fire protection activities. 
‘‘(a) CERTAIN DISEASES DEEMED TO BE PROXI-
MATELY CAUSED BY EMPLOYMENT IN FIRE PROTECTION 
ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For a claim under this sub-
chapter of disability or death of an employee who 
has been employed for a minimum of 5 years in ag-
gregate as an employee in fire protection activities, 
a disease specified on the list established under 
paragraph (2) shall be deemed to be proximately 
caused by the employment of such employee. 
‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIAL LIST.—There 
is established under this section the following list of 
diseases: 
‘‘(A) Bladder cancer. 
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‘‘(B) Brain cancer. 
‘‘(C) Chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-
ease. 
‘‘(D) Colorectal cancer. 
‘‘(E) Esophageal cancer. 
‘‘(F) Kidney cancer. 
‘‘(G) Leukemias. 
‘‘(H) Lung cancer. 
‘‘(I) Mesothelioma. 
‘‘(J) Multiple myeloma. 
‘‘(K) Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 
‘‘(L) Prostate cancer. 
‘‘(M) Skin cancer (melanoma). 
‘‘(N) A sudden cardiac event or stroke 
while, or not later than 24 hours after, engag-
ing in the activities described in subsection 
(b)(1)(C). 
‘‘(O) Testicular cancer. 
‘‘(P) Thyroid cancer. 
‘‘(3) ADDITIONS TO THE LIST.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
periodically review the list established under 
this section in consultation with the Director of 
the National Institute on Occupational Safety 
and Health and shall add a disease to the list 
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by rule, upon a showing by a petitioner or on 
the Secretary’s own determination, in accord-
ance with this paragraph. 
‘‘(B) BASIS
FOR
DETERMINATION.—The 
Secretary shall add a disease to the list upon a 
showing by a petitioner or the Secretary’s own 
determination, based on the weight of the best 
available scientific evidence, that there is a sig-
nificant risk to employees in fire protection ac-
tivities of developing such disease. 
‘‘(C) AVAILABLE
EXPERTISE.—In deter-
mining significant risk for purposes of subpara-
graph (B), the Secretary may accept as authori-
tative and may rely upon recommendations, risk 
assessments, and scientific studies (including 
analyses of National Firefighter Registry data 
pertaining to Federal firefighters) by the Na-
tional Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health, the National Toxicology Program, the 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
and Medicine, and the International Agency for 
Research on Cancer. 
‘‘(4) PETITIONS TO ADD TO THE LIST.— 
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