04/13/2022 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

        SB 131-WORKERS' COMP DISABILITY FOR FIREFIGHTERS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:47:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be  SENATE  BILL NO.  131(TITLE  AM),  "An  Act relating  to  the                                                               
presumption  of compensability  for a  disability resulting  from                                                               
certain cancers in firefighters."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:47:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ moved to adopt the proposed committee                                                                        
substitute (CS) for SB 131(TITLE AM), Version 32-LS0598\I, Marx,                                                                
2/23/22 ("Version I"), as the working document.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:48:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY objected for discussion purposes.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:48:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHELSEA WARD-WALLER, Staff,  Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature, on  behalf of  the House  Labor and  Commerce                                                               
Committee  presented the  committee's proposed  CS for  the bill.                                                               
She  spoke from  the  document in  the  committee packet,  titled                                                               
"Summary of Changes, HCS SB 131  (L&C) Version A.A to Version I",                                                               
which read [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1                                                                                                                
     Page  1, line  13; Replaces  "malignant melanoma"  with                                                                  
     "skin cancer"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2,  lines 7-12;  Adds cervical  cancer, testicular                                                                  
     cancer, mesothelioma,  multiple myeloma,  colon cancer,                                                                    
     and  thyroid  cancer  to  the  list  of  diseases  with                                                                    
     presumptive  claim  for   disability  compensation  for                                                                    
     firefighters.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2                                                                                                                
     Page 2,  lines 30-31 and  page 3, lines 1-6;  Inserts a                                                                  
     new  section that  amends AS  23.30.121  (f) to  define                                                                    
     firefighter  as  a  person   employed  by  a  state  or                                                                    
     municipal  fire department,  or member  of a  volunteer                                                                    
     fire   department  registered   with  the   state  fire                                                                    
     marshal,   including  a   person  registered   for  the                                                                    
     purposes  of   workers'  compensation.   Renumbers  the                                                                    
     following section accordingly.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3                                                                                                                
     Page 3,  line 9; adds  the definitions in Section  2 AS                                                                  
     23.30.121 (f)  applicable for claims  made on  or after                                                                    
     the effective date of the act.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:49:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN  inquired about  the likely cost  of these                                                               
expanded line items  that will be transferred  through the system                                                               
for this expanded coverage.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FIELDS  responded  that   these  proposed  changes  are                                                               
informed by  last year's  testimony before  the committee  on the                                                               
House  companion bill  sponsored by  Representative Kaufman.   He                                                               
said  that the  insurer  was consulted  to gain  a  sense of  the                                                               
magnitude  of these  [proposed] changes  and his  recollection is                                                               
that the cost impact was  minimal and was considered in expanding                                                               
the bill  this way.  Responding  further, he agreed to  provide a                                                               
copy of that document for  the committee's use in considering the                                                               
proposed CS.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN  observed that testicular cancer  is added                                                               
but not ovarian cancer.  He  asked whether that is an omission or                                                               
intentional.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS  replied that he  does not remember  and deferred                                                               
to Ms. Ward-Waller to provide an answer.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS.  WARD-WALLER  responded  that  it  was  not  intentional  and                                                               
therefore amendments could be looked at for that.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KAUFMAN  suggested  the committee  look  at  that                                                               
omission as well as look at the collective cost impact.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS agreed.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:52:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:52:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCARTY removed  his objection  to the  motion to                                                               
adopt Version I as the working  document.  There being no further                                                               
objection, Version I was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
[SB 131(TITLE AM) was held over.]