HOUSE BILL NO. 200 "An Act relating to the presumption of coverage for a workers' compensation claim for disability as a result of certain diseases for certain occupations." REPRESENTATIVE NANCY DAHLSTROM, Sponsor, explained that SB 200 establishes a presumption in the workers' compensation program for professional and volunteer firefighters who have had a qualifying medical exam and who have been on the job for at least seven years. There is inherent risk of exposure to toxic chemicals for firefighters and first responders. HB 200 identifies certain illnesses that have been directly related to their jobs. She said a great deal of thought has gone into the bill and into the defined parameters as to who qualifies. It comes down to a policy call whether legislators believe that first responders deserve this coverage. She requested support for SB 200. 3:19:28 PM Representative Harris noted the letter from the Alaska Municipal League (AML) which is not supportive of the bill. He asked Representative Dahlstrom if she has talked to AML about their concerns. Representative Dahlstrom responded that in previous committees AML testified against the bill and it was difficult to come to agreement about statistics. Other states that have implemented this law have added other illnesses to the list at a later date because costs were not what they were projected to be. Speaker Harris asked if the maximum amount of time involved is 5 years or 60 months. Representative Dahlstrom said it was. 3:21:04 PM Representative Gara reported that these cases are very hard to prove. He did not think the bill would cost a lot of money because it changes the law very little. To prove a case, it has to be proven that something is more than 50 percent likely. The bill states that an employer would have to bear the burden of proof 51 percent. 3:22:49 PM JEFFREY M. BRIGGS, DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, ALASKA PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, pointed out that 40 other states have similar legislation. Testimony against the bill has been tied to the Alaska Municipal League. Mr. Briggs gave a personal example of a response to an accident. He spoke of vast support for this legislation. He reported that the bill would cover about 1,000 firefighters statewide. Vice-Chair Stoltze wondered about AML's resistance to the bill. Mr. Briggs responded that their testimony would be at a future meeting. 3:27:01 PM MATT MCSORLEY, ALASKA PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, said the bill would grant fire fighters protection. He shared two personal stories as a hazard materials responder. He described how the fire fighters job has changed. He urged support for the bill. HB 200 was heard and HELD in Committee for further consideration.