Virginia firefighters cancer presumption bill postponed

A Virginia bill that would have added several cancers to the list of occupational ailments presumed to be caused by fighting fires has been postponed until the 2019 legislative session, a spokesperson for the bill’s sponsor said Monday.

H.B. 1245, introduced in January by Virginia House Delegate Tim Hugo, R-Centreville, would add colon, brain and testicular cancers to the list of cancers that are presumed to be an occupational disease covered by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act when firefighters and certain employees develop the cancer.

The bill would eliminate the requirement that the employee who develops cancer had contact with a toxic substance encountered in the line of duty.

A spokesman for the delegate’s office said the bill would not pass this year but has been tabled for 2019 pending revisions.