House committee gives favorable report to bill adding Parkinson’s to firefighters’ occupational diseases

A House committee voted to give House Bill 466 a favorable report as amended, a measure that would add Parkinson’s disease to the list of occupational diseases eligible for firefighters’ death and disability compensation if the disease can be shown to be related to on‑the‑job toxin exposures.

Representative Treadway, who presented the bill, told the committee: “This bill would add Parkinson disease to the list of firefighters occupational diseases.” He said affected firefighters would still need to demonstrate that their Parkinson’s disease was related to their career and to exposures to toxins.

Representative Givens offered an amendment changing statutory references and clarifying that a firefighter’s eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits “shall be governed solely by chapter 5 of title 25.” The amendment was moved and seconded and adopted by consent.

Representative Bracy praised the standard that claimants must show how they received the disease, saying it avoids overly broad automatic eligibility. “I appreciate you saying that a person has to demonstrate how they actually, you know, receive the disease,” he said.

The committee then voted by voice to give HB466 a favorable report as amended. The committee’s record in the transcript shows a voice vote and assent; a roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript.

The measure now proceeds per the committee’s rules for bills given a favorable report; the transcript does not specify when it will next appear on the calendar.