Title: Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019
This bill provides federal worker's compensation to firefighters who contract certain illnesses as a result of their service.
Specifically, the bill provides that (1) heart disease, lung disease, and specified cancers of federal employees employed in fire protection activities for at least 5 years is presumed to be proximately caused by such employment if the employee is diagnosed with the disease within 10 years of their employment in fire protection activities; and (2) the disability or death of the employee due to such disease is presumed to result from personal injury sustained in the performance of duty. These presumptions also apply to fire protection employees who contract any uncommon infectious disease, such as tuberculosis, hepatitis A, B, or C, or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
An employee in fire protection activities is a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker, who (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must examine the implementation of this bill and appropriate scientific and medical data related to the health risks of firefighting.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1174 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1174

    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 employee's duty, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2019

  Mr. Carbajal (for himself, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Stefanik, and Mr. Takano) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    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 employee's duty, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. CERTAIN DISEASES PRESUMED TO BE WORK-RELATED CAUSE OF 
              DISABILITY OR DEATH FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES IN FIRE 
              PROTECTION ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Definition.--Section 8101 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (19);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (20) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(21) `employee in fire protection activities' 
                means a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical 
                technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or 
                hazardous material worker, who--
                            ``(A) is trained in fire suppression;
                            ``(B) has the legal authority and 
                        responsibility to engage in fire suppression;
                            ``(C) is engaged in the prevention, 
                        control, and extinguishment of fires or 
                        response to emergency situations where life, 
                        property, or the environment is at risk; and
                            ``(D) performs such activities as a primary 
                        responsibility of his or her job.''.
    (b) Presumption Relating to Employees in Fire Protection 
Activities.--Section 8102 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(c)(1) With regard to an employee in fire protection activities, 
a disease specified in paragraph (3) shall be presumed to be 
proximately caused by the employment of such employee, subject to the 
length of service requirements specified. The disability or death of an 
employee in fire protection activities due to such a disease shall be 
presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the 
performance of such employee's duty. Such presumptions may be rebutted 
by a preponderance of the evidence.
    ``(2) Such presumptions apply only if the employee in fire 
protection activities is diagnosed with the disease for which 
presumption is sought within 10 years of the last active date of 
employment as an employee in fire protection activities.
    ``(3) The following diseases shall be presumed to be proximately 
caused by the employment of the employee in fire protection activities:
            ``(A) If the employee has been employed for a minimum of 5 
        years in aggregate as an employee in fire protection 
        activities:
                    ``(i) Heart disease.
                    ``(ii) Lung disease.
                    ``(iii) The following cancers:
                            ``(I) Brain cancer.
                            ``(II) Cancer of the blood or lymphatic 
                        systems.
                            ``(III) Leukemia.
                            ``(IV) Lymphoma (except Hodgkin's disease).
                            ``(V) Multiple myeloma.
                            ``(VI) Bladder cancer.
                            ``(VII) Kidney cancer.
                            ``(VIII) Testicular cancer.
                            ``(IX) Cancer of the digestive system.
                            ``(X) Colon cancer.
                            ``(XI) Liver cancer.
                            ``(XII) Skin cancer.
                            ``(XIII) Lung cancer.
                            ``(XIV) Breast cancer.
                    ``(iv) Any other cancer the contraction of which 
                the Secretary of Labor through regulations determines 
                to be related to the hazards to which an employee in 
                fire protection activities may be subject.
            ``(B) Regardless of the length of time an employee in fire 
        protection activities has been employed, any uncommon 
        infectious disease, including but not limited to tuberculosis, 
        hepatitis A, B, or C, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 
        and any other uncommon infectious disease the contraction of 
        which the Secretary of Labor through regulations determines to 
        be related to the hazards to which an employee in fire 
        protection activities may be subject.''.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall examine the 
implementation of this Act and appropriate scientific and medical data 
related to the health risks associated with firefighting and submit to 
Congress a report which shall include--
            (1) an analysis of the injury claims made under this Act;
            (2) an analysis of the available research related to the 
        health risks associated with firefighting; and
            (3) recommendations for any administrative or legislative 
        actions necessary to ensure that those diseases most associated 
        with firefighting are included in the presumption created by 
        this Act.
    (d) Application.--The amendments made by this section shall apply 
to a covered disability or death that occurs on or after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
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