A bill intended to assure that Arizona firefighters who get occupational cancers receive workers' compensation benefits passed the Senate on Wednesday with significant bipartisan support.
The Senate voted 25-4 to pass Senate Bill 1160, which clears up the state law to explain that if a firefighter gets a cancer on the state's list, it is presumed to be caused by firefighting, and the firefighter doesn't have to prove that he or she got the disease on the job to receive workers' compensation benefits.
The bill now heads to the House.
Firefighters are at a higher risk of getting certain cancers, because of the toxins they are exposed to on the job. The proposal comes as firefighters across the state struggle to get workers' compensation coverage, when there is already presumption language in the law.