HB 84-WORKERS' COMP: POLICE, FIRE, EMT, PARAMED  3:09:00 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 84, "An Act relating to the presumption of compensability for a disability resulting from certain diseases for firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and peace officers." 3:09:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE ANDY JOSEPHSON, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of HB 84, informed the committee the bill would broaden and further explain the intent of the original presumptive illness bill. 3:09:36 PM ELISE SORUM-BIRK, Staff, Representative Andy Josephson, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Josephson, sponsor of HB 84, stated HB 84 adds new categories of emergency worker to the existing presumptive legislation that provides presumptive coverage for certain diseases; the new categories are emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and peace officers. Further, the bill adds breast cancer to the list of diseases covered by presumptive coverage and also extends coverage to professionals who entered service prior to August 2008, who have gone through all official medical examinations, and who did not show evidence of disease in their first seven years of service. REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON related the case of a firefighter who developed prostate cancer and who had difficulty establishing "presumption"; he pointed out - if HB 84 had been in effect - the firefighter's presumptive coverage would have been clear because he was working before 2008, and thus he could have been exposed to a toxic substance that later gave him cancer. Further, this example clarified that compliance with the medical examination requirements [within existing statute] was adequate even though there was not an established system for medical examinations. Representative Josephson restated the bill also expands the categories to other first responders. He further explained: [HB 84] is still a very limited benefit in that it can only last for 60 months total following the last day of employment. ... It can only be earned, or one can only qualify if they fought fires, for example, for seven years, and then there's also some burden of proof to say, "This is the thing that I think I was exposed to." So, this doesn't just come flowing in just at one's beck and call. It has, it has some ... sideboards, and those would still exist. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ has heard testimony reporting breast cancer rates are approximately six times higher amongst female firefighters; she questioned whether breast cancer victims would still have to demonstrate exposure to a chemical documented to increase the incidence of breast cancer in order to establish presumptive coverage for breast cancer. REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON indicated yes. He noted the aforementioned testimony was reported from a study limited to the San Francisco [California] Fire Department. 3:13:49 PM CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY moved to report HB 84 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, HB 84 was reported out of the House Health and Social Services Standing Committee.