COVID–19 as a Presumptive Disease in Wildland Firefighters Act
Latest action · Jun 8, 2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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.
- IntroducedJun 8, 2020
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
COVID-19 as a Presumptive Disease in Wildland Firefighters Act
This bill entitles federal wildland firefighters who contract COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to federal workers' compensation benefits and also establishes certain testing and screening requirements for such firefighters during the wildfire season (May 15-November 15, 2020).
Specifically, the bill provides that if a federal wildland firefighter exhibits specified symptoms, tests positive, or is otherwise determined by a physician as likely having COVID-19 during the wildfire season or during a specific wildfire (or in the following 28 days), the firefighter is presumed to have incurred an injury while on duty that qualifies for workers' compensation benefits.
Additionally, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture must ensure that all of their firefighters are tested for COVID-19 or related symptoms, or self-quarantine for at least 14 days with no symptoms, before the wildfire season or before responding to a wildfire.
Cosponsors 7
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 8, 2020 to Aug 4, 2020, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NM | Tom Udall | Original | Jun 8, 2020 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Jun 30, 2020 | |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Jun 30, 2020 | |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Jun 30, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Jun 30, 2020 | |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Jul 1, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Aug 4, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 8, 2020Introduced in Senate
- Jun 8, 2020Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative remedies
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Fires
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Forests, forestry, trees
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government Operations and Politics
- Health care costs and insurance
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Medical research
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Worker safety and health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 8, 2020Introduced in Senate
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.