Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2017
Latest action · Apr 4, 2017 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 4, 2017
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2017
This bill provides that: (1) heart disease, lung disease, and specified cancers of federal employees employed in fire protection activities for a minimum of 5 years shall be presumed to be proximately caused by such employment if an employee is diagnosed with any such disease within 10 years of the last active date of employment in fire protection activities; (2) the disability or death of such an employee due to any such disease shall be presumed to result from personal injury sustained while in the performance of duty; and (3) such presumptions may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence. These presumptions shall also apply to fire protection employees who contract any uncommon infectious disease, including but not limited to tuberculosis, hepatitis A, B, or C, or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), regardless of length of employment.
The bill defines an "employee in fire protection activities" as 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 associated with firefighting.
Cosponsors 32
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 4, 2017 to Oct 5, 2018; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Apr 4, 2017 |
| D-NH | Carol Shea-Porter | May 2, 2017 | |
| R-CA | David G. Valadao | May 2, 2017 | |
| R-MI | Jack Bergman | May 2, 2017 | |
| R-PA | Patrick Meehan | May 2, 2017 | |
| R-NY | Claudia Tenney | May 11, 2017 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | May 11, 2017 | |
| D-TX | Beto O'Rourke | Jun 12, 2017 | |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Jun 12, 2017 | |
| D-VA | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | Jun 12, 2017 | |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Jun 16, 2017 | |
| R-OH | James B. Renacci | Jun 16, 2017 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Jun 16, 2017 | |
| R-NJ | Thomas MacArthur | Jun 16, 2017 | |
| D-NM | Michelle Lujan Grisham | Jun 27, 2017 | |
| R-IN | Susan W. Brooks | Jun 27, 2017 | |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Jul 10, 2017 | |
| D-NV | Jacky Rosen | Jul 10, 2017 | |
| R-NY | Elise M. Stefanik | Mar 19, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Apr 16, 2018 | |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Apr 16, 2018 | |
| R-NY | Peter T. King | Apr 16, 2018 | |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Jun 21, 2018 | |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Jul 25, 2018 | |
| R-IL | Mike Bost | Jul 25, 2018 | |
| R-OH | Michael R. Turner | Jul 26, 2018 | |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Jul 26, 2018 | |
| R-VA | Barbara Comstock | Sep 12, 2018 | |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Sep 12, 2018 | |
| D-FL | Darren Soto | Oct 5, 2018 | |
| R-WV | David B. McKinley | Oct 5, 2018 | |
| R-VA | Scott Taylor | Oct 5, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Apr 4, 2017 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 4, 2017Introduced in House
- Apr 4, 2017Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 58, April 4, 2017, page H2697.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- 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.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2017
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Blood and blood diseases
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Disability and paralysis
- Disability assistance
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Evidence and witnesses
- Fires
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government Operations and Politics
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Health personnel
- Medical research
- Worker safety and health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 4, 2017Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
