Texas bill proposes mandatory cancer screenings for firefighters
Cancer screenings for firefighters bill
Firefighters no doubt have a dangerous job, but you might be surprised to learn one of the greatest on the job threats is not directly from a flame but from cancer. A hearing was held Monday at the State Capitol on a bill that would require cancer screenings for Texas firefighters.
AUSTIN, Texas - A proposed Texas law would require mandatory cancer screenings for firefighters across the state.
On Monday, a Texas House subcommittee on County & Regional Government under the Texas House Committee of Intergovernmental Affairs considered House Bill 198.
HB 198
What we know:
House Bill 198 is also known as the Wade Cannon Act after a Flower Mound firefighter who recently died from cancer.
HB 198 would require political subdivisions to provide free cancer screenings for their firefighters. The tests would focus on the colon, prostate, lungs and brain.
The free screenings would start in the fifth year of a firefighter's employment and then happen once every three years following the initial screening.
What they're saying:
State Rep. Ben Bumgarner (R-Flower Mound) filed the bill in November, marking his second attempt at passing this legislation. His first attempt two years ago failed to clear the Senate.
"It was a timing issue. It was. It was heard later on in the session. And this time around we had a low bill number. And it's going to be one of the first Bills heard over in the Senate from the House side. So, I feel really good about it," said Bumgarner.
Among those to testify in support of the legislation was Tim Mackling who worked with Wade Cannon, the namesake of the bill.
"Unfortunately, Wade was too young for our health insurance to cover his cancer screenings. At 31, you go in for a colonoscopy screening, your insurance tends to deny it. They screen at 45. "So, Cannon was caught in a weird situation between health insurance and worker's comp," said Mackling.
By the numbers:
Between 2002 and 2019, cancer caused 66% of the line-of-duty deaths of career firefighters, according to data from the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Research by the CDC/National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety determined that firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer than the general U.S. population and are 14% more likely to die from cancer.
Funding concerns
The other side:
The committee was told Monday that testing can cost about $500.
State Rep. Sheryl Cole (D-Austin) noted the bill does not provide any state funding.
"We're saying, shall, to a municipality and we get, you know, called on the carpet about that quite a bit. And I used to be a city council member," said Cole.
Covering the cost on the local level is a concern for Chief Roger Esparza with the El Paso County ESD #2.
"I'm a small ESD, West Texas, lowest taxing entities. Right now, there's 26 bills that are going to target the way we do ad valorem taxing. And I think it's one of those things that I think it's a great idea. Phenomenal. I think we need it, but I'm concerned of how I'm going to pay for that," said Chief Esparza.
Bumgarner believes the bill can save money and lives.
"Preventive care is so much cheaper than what it is for costs of workman's comp occupational therapy. These guys can't come back to work, death benefits in the in the in term that they pass away and just the cost of savings on having to replace that institutional knowledge and the firefighter itself," said Bumgarner.
Local perspective:
Austin pays for an annual wellness physical, which has caught some medical conditions, according to Bob Nicks with the Austin Firefighter’s Association.
Big picture view:
Early screening laws have been filed in Louisiana and Connecticut. New Hampshire passed a law last year and allocated $5 million.
A bill proposing a federal screening law has also been filed in Congress.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin chief political reporter Rudy Koski.