On May 11th, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022 (H.R. 2499). Representative Carbajal (D- Santa Barbara) originally introduced the bill in the House, and it has 203 bipartisan co-sponsors including California Representatives Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), Jim Costa (D-Fresno), John Garamendi (D-Wlanut Grove), Juan Vargas (D-San Diego), Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel), Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), Jared Huffman (D-Marina), Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), and Mike Thompson (D-Napa). The bill would alter the current law that requires federal firefighters who are injured on the job or claim illness from toxic exposure to apply for the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Program, specifying a single event which led to their ailment. It would also establish a list of health conditions and injuries that can be brought on by their line of work, and streamline the process of qualifying for workers compensation, disability, and retirement benefits. Firefighters who work at the state and local level are already under the streamlined rule.
