BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A new proposal could make it easier for firefighters who develop cancer from their work to receive benefits.
Those firefighters would be eligible to receive workers’ compensation if they develop an illness they believe could be tied to breathing in carcinogens and other hazards of the job.
A similar bill failed in the House in 2012.
In the last ten years, only one firefighter who developed testicular cancer would have been eligible to take advantage of the benefits.
Sen. Chuck Winder, a Boise Republican, said Friday it would be in “unusual circumstance” in which a firefighter would take advantage of the program, but said he would support the proposal going to a full hearing.
The Senate State Committee voted unanimously to send the proposal to the full Senate for review.
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