(Phoenix, State Capitol) ------ Senator Paul Boyer and Senator Heather Carter today introduced a bill to protect the men and women who protect us. This legislation adds on to a bill passed in 2017, allowing firefighters to receive workers' compensation benefits if diagnosed with specific cancers. This session's bill adds to the list of cancers to recognize cancers in our female firefighters. It also addresses the problem of governments denying benefits to first responders.
"With this legislation, we are going to make it perfectly clear, without a doubt, that that our heroes will receive the benefits they are due," said Senator Carter. "They will be able to spend their time fighting cancer and not fighting the government, not fighting lawyers and not fighting their high-paid experts!"
"We all know firefighters get cancer in the line of duty," said Senator Boyer. "There is overwhelming evidence, so we passed the bill to protect them, but attorneys have found loopholes to make sure these heroes don’t get their claims covered. We’re running legislation to make sure they can no longer deny these on-the-job injuries firefighters get while fighting fires and protecting all of us."
"It's in all of our best interests," said Bryan Jeffries, President of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona. "We feel that our people need to fight these diseases, get better and get back on the streets serving the public where they belong."