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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 141
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 5495
Referred to Committee on LABOR AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Introduced by:
(LAB)
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUD Y CANCER
RELIEF BENEFITS FOR FIREFIGHTERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force 1
to study cancer relief benefits for firefighters. Such study shall include, 2
but need not be limited to, an examination of (1) the adequacy of the 3
firefighters cancer relief program established pursuant to section 7-313j 4
of the general statutes, and (2) the feasibility and implications of 5
providing workers' compensation and other benefits, including death 6
benefits, to firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer acquired as a 7
result of occupational exposure to noxious fumes or poisonous gases. 8
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 9
(1) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General 10
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor; 11
(2) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 12
one of whom has expertise in the state's workers' compensation 13
program and one of whom has expertise in cancer research; 14
Committee Bill No. 141
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(3) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; 15
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 16
Representatives; 17
(5) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; 18
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 19
Representatives; and 20
(7) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate. 21
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (2), 22
(3), (4), (5), (6) or (7) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member 23
of the General Assembly. 24
(d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later 25
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall 26
be filled by the appointing authority. 27
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro 28
tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from 29
among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule 30
the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty 31
days after the effective date of this section. 32
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 33
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor shall 34
serve as administrative staff of the task force. 35
(g) Not later than January 1, 2022, the task force shall submit a report 36
on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of 37
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor, in 38
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 39
The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or 40
January 1, 2022, whichever is later. 41
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Statement of Purpose:
To establish a task force to study cancer relief benefits for firefighters.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. KASSER, 36th Dist.; REP. MICHEL, 146th Dist.
SEN. OSTEN, 19th Dist.; REP. DELNICKI, 14th Dist.
S.B. 141