Senate Committee Approves Presumptive Disability Benefits for Federal Fire Fighters

June 26, 2008 – A U.S. Senate Committee voted to approve legislation granting presumptive disability benefits to federal fire fighters who contract heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers and certain infectious diseases.

S. 1924, the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, was approved by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on a voice vote. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Committee members Tom Carper (D-DE) and John Warner (R-VA).

“I applaud the Senate Committee for its swift and strong approval of the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act,” says 16th District Vice President Jim Johnson. “The Committee’s support is crucial to the bill’s final enactment and brings us one step closer towards ensuring that federal fire fighters receive the benefits they deserve.”

The legislation encountered opposition from Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who argued that existing evidence failed to demonstrate the link between fire fighting and disease. However, Senators Carper and Warner, along with Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), effectively rebutted the senator’s arguments, paving the way for the legislation’s approval.

“DVP Johnson and our union’s federal fire fighters have done an outstanding job educating members of Congress on the many hazards faced by federal fire fighters and the difficulty they face when applying for disability benefits,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “The IAFF will continue working with its friends in Congress to support the 16th District’s efforts and assure that the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act is enacted into law.”

Before its passage, the Committee voted to pass an amendment making a number of technical changes to the bill.

S. 1924 now awaits action by the full Senate.