Florida Senate - 2025 SB 66 By Senator Garcia 36-00088-25 202566__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to firefighter benefits; amending s. 3 112.1816, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 4 cancer to include acute myeloid leukemia for the 5 purpose of expanding cancer treatment benefits; 6 providing a declaration of important state interest; 7 providing an effective date. 8 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10 11 Section 1.Section 112.1816, Florida Statutes, is amended 12 to read: 13 112.1816Firefighters; cancer diagnosis. 14 (1)As used in this section, the term: 15 (a)Cancer includes: 16 1.Acute myeloid leukemia. 17 2.Bladder cancer. 18 3.2.Brain cancer. 19 4.3.Breast cancer. 20 5.4.Cervical cancer. 21 6.5.Colon cancer. 22 7.6.Esophageal cancer. 23 8.7.Invasive skin cancer. 24 9.8.Kidney cancer. 25 10.9.Large intestinal cancer. 26 11.10.Lung cancer. 27 12.11.Malignant melanoma. 28 13.12.Mesothelioma. 29 14.13.Multiple myeloma. 30 15.14.Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. 31 16.15.Oral cavity and pharynx cancer. 32 17.16.Ovarian cancer. 33 18.17.Prostate cancer. 34 19.18.Rectal cancer. 35 20.19.Stomach cancer. 36 21.20.Testicular cancer. 37 22.21.Thyroid cancer. 38 (b)Employer has the same meaning as in s. 112.191. 39 (c)Firefighter means an individual employed as a full 40 time firefighter or full-time, Florida-certified fire 41 investigator within the fire department or public safety 42 department of an employer whose primary responsibilities are the 43 prevention and extinguishing of fires; the protection of life 44 and property; and the enforcement of municipal, county, and 45 state fire prevention codes and laws pertaining to the 46 prevention and control of fires; or the investigation of fires 47 and explosives. 48 (2)Upon a diagnosis of cancer, a firefighter is entitled 49 to the following benefits, as an alternative to pursuing 50 workers compensation benefits under chapter 440, if the 51 firefighter has been employed by his or her employer for at 52 least 5 continuous years, has not used tobacco products for at 53 least the preceding 5 years, and has not been employed in any 54 other position in the preceding 5 years which is proven to 55 create a higher risk for any cancer: 56 (a)Cancer treatment covered within an employer-sponsored 57 health plan or through a group health insurance trust fund. The 58 employer must timely reimburse the firefighter for any out-of 59 pocket deductible, copayment, or coinsurance costs incurred due 60 to the treatment of cancer. 61 (b)A one-time cash payout of $25,000, upon the 62 firefighters initial diagnosis of cancer. 63 (c)Leave time and employee retention benefits equivalent 64 to those provided for other injuries or illnesses incurred in 65 the line of duty. 66 67 If the firefighter elects to continue coverage in the employer 68 sponsored health plan or group health insurance trust fund after 69 he or she terminates employment, the benefits specified in 70 paragraphs (a) and (b) must be made available by the former 71 employer of a firefighter for 10 years following the date on 72 which the firefighter terminates employment so long as the 73 firefighter otherwise met the criteria specified in this 74 subsection when he or she terminated employment and was not 75 subsequently employed as a firefighter following that date. 76 (3)(a)If the firefighter participates in an employer 77 sponsored retirement plan, the retirement plan must consider the 78 firefighter totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty 79 if he or she meets the retirement plans definition of totally 80 and permanently disabled due to the diagnosis of cancer or 81 circumstances that arise out of the treatment of cancer. 82 (b)If the firefighter does not participate in an employer 83 sponsored retirement plan, the employer must provide a 84 disability retirement plan that provides the firefighter with at 85 least 42 percent of his or her annual salary, at no cost to the 86 firefighter, until the firefighters death, as coverage for 87 total and permanent disabilities attributable to the diagnosis 88 of cancer which arise out of the treatment of cancer. 89 (4)(a)If the firefighter participated in an employer 90 sponsored retirement plan, the retirement plan must consider the 91 firefighter to have died in the line of duty if he or she dies 92 as a result of cancer or circumstances that arise out of the 93 treatment of cancer. 94 (b)If the firefighter did not participate in an employer 95 sponsored retirement plan, the employer must provide a death 96 benefit to the firefighters beneficiary, at no cost to the 97 firefighter or his or her beneficiary, totaling at least 42 98 percent of the firefighters most recent annual salary for at 99 least 10 years following the firefighters death as a result of 100 cancer or circumstances that arise out of the treatment of 101 cancer. 102 (c)Firefighters who die as a result of cancer or 103 circumstances that arise out of the treatment of cancer are 104 considered to have died in the manner as described in s. 105 112.191(2)(a), and all of the benefits arising out of such death 106 are available to the deceased firefighters beneficiary. 107 (5)(a)The costs to provide the reimbursements and lump sum 108 payments under subsection (2) and the costs to provide 109 disability retirement benefits under paragraph (3)(b) and the 110 line-of-duty death benefits under paragraph (4)(b) must be borne 111 solely by the employer. 112 (b)The employer or employers participating in a retirement 113 plan or system are solely responsible for the payment of the 114 contributions necessary to fund the increased actuarial costs 115 associated with the implementation of the presumptions under 116 paragraphs (3)(a) and (4)(a), respectively, that cancer has, or 117 the circumstances that arise out of the treatment of cancer 118 have, either rendered the firefighter totally and permanently 119 disabled or resulted in the death of the firefighter in the line 120 of duty. 121 (c)An employer may not increase employee contributions 122 required to participate in a retirement plan or system to fund 123 the costs associated with enhanced benefits provided in 124 subsections (3) and (4). 125 (6)The Division of State Fire Marshal within the 126 Department of Financial Services shall adopt rules to establish 127 employer cancer prevention best practices as it relates to 128 personal protective equipment, decontamination, fire suppression 129 apparatus, and fire stations. 130 Section 2.The Legislature determines and declares that 131 this act fulfills an important state interest. 132 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.