Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB919 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0919
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 919
8	8	K1 3lr2146
9	9	CF SB 538
10	10	By: Delegates Rogers, Amprey, Boafo, Charkoudian, Fennell, Fraser –Hidalgo,
11	11	A. Johnson, Pruski, Qi, Queen, Turner, and Valderrama
12	12	Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2023
13	13	Assigned to: Economic Matters
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
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19	19	Workers’ Compensation – Occupational Disease Presumptions – Hypertension 2
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of repealing the requirement that certain firefighters, fire fighting 3
22	22	instructors, rescue squad members, advanced life support unit members, and 4
23	23	members of the Office of the State Fire Marshal experience partial or total disability 5
24	24	or death for hypertension to be presumed to be an occupational disease that was 6
25	25	suffered in the line of duty and is compensable under workers’ compensation law; 7
26	26	and generally relating to occupational disease presumptions under workers’ 8
27	27	compensation law. 9
28	28
29	29	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
30	30	Article – Labor and Employment 11
31	31	Section 9–503(a) 12
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 13
33	33	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 14
34	34
35	35	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
36	36	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
37	37
38	38	Article – Labor and Employment 17
39	39
40	40	9–503. 18
41	41
42	42	(a) (1) A paid firefighter, paid fire fighting instructor, paid rescue squad 19
43	43	member, paid advanced life support unit member, or sworn member of the Office of the 20
44	44	State Fire Marshal employed by an airport authority, a county, a fire control district, a 21
45	45	municipality, or the State or a volunteer firefighter, volunteer fire fighting instructor, 22
46	46	volunteer rescue squad member, or volunteer advanced life support unit member who is a 23 2 HOUSE BILL 919
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49	49	covered employee under § 9–234 of this title is presumed to have an occupational disease 1
50	50	that was suffered in the line of duty and is compensable under this title if: 2
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52	52	[(1)] (I) 1. the individual has heart disease[, hypertension,] or lung 3
53	53	disease; 4
54	54
55	55	[(2)] 2. the heart disease[, hypertension,] or lung disease results 5
56	56	in partial or total disability or death; and 6
57	57
58	58	[(3)] 3. in the case of a volunteer firefighter, volunteer fire 7
59	59	fighting instructor, volunteer rescue squad member, or volunteer advanced life support unit 8
60	60	member, the individual has met a suitable standard of physical examination before 9
61	61	becoming a firefighter, fire fighting instructor, rescue squad member, or advanced life 10
62	62	support unit member; OR 11
63	63
64	64	(II) 1. THE INDIVIDUAL HAS H YPERTENSION ; AND 12
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66	66	2. IN THE CASE O F A VOLUNTEER FIREFI GHTER, 13
67	67	VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHT ING INSTRUCTOR , VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQU AD MEMBER, OR 14
68	68	VOLUNTEER ADVANCED L IFE SUPPORT UNIT MEM BER, THE INDIVIDUAL HAS M ET A 15
69	69	SUITABLE STANDARD OF PHYSICAL EXAMINATION BEFORE BECOMING A 16
70	70	FIREFIGHTER, FIRE FIGHTING IN STRUCTOR, RESCUE SQUAD MEMBER , OR 17
71	71	ADVANCED LIFE SUPPOR T UNIT MEMBER . 18
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73	73	(2) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY O THER PROVISION OF TH IS TITLE, AN 19
74	74	INDIVIDUAL MAY NOT B E REQUIRED TO DEMONS TRATE DISABLEMENT UN DER § 20
75	75	9–502 OF THIS SUBTITLE TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PRESUMPTION U NDER 21
76	76	PARAGRAPH (1)(II) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 22
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78	78	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 23
79	79	October 1, 2023. 24
80	80