AR HB1773

Paid firefighters with at least 5 years of employment are granted a minimum of 1,456 hours of paid leave upon initiating treatment for occupationally caused cancer.

Paid leave does not reduce accrued sick leave, annual vacation leave, or other employment benefits and may be transferred from a catastrophic leave bank if the program meets specified requirements.

Occupationally caused cancer is defined as exposure to a known carcinogen while in official line of duty, as determined by the Department of Health and International Agency for Research on Cancer, resulting in a diagnosed cancer listed in § 21-5-705(a)(3)(A)(i).

A presumption exists that cancer resulted from employment if the firefighter's initial physical examination did not reveal the cancer existed before employment; the employer must prove by preponderance of medical evidence to rebut this presumption.

Fire departments may participate in a firefighter cancer relief network established by September 1, 2019, governed by the Arkansas Association of Fire Chiefs and firefighter associations, and may provide relief firefighters to other departments if the requesting department demonstrates substantial budgetary impact.