Senate Bill 1160 Summary

• Establishes an irrebuttable presumption that certain cancers diagnosed in firefighters and fire investigators are occupational diseases arising from employment, if eligibility requirements are met.

• Covers cancers including brain, bladder, rectal, colon, lung, kidney, prostate, skin, stomach, breast, ovarian, testicular cancers, lymphoma, leukemia, mesothelioma, and melanoma.

• Requires that firefighters and fire investigators pass a pre-employment physical examination showing no cancer, be assigned to hazardous duty for at least 5 years, and be diagnosed within 15 years of retirement if age 65 or younger.

• Makes the presumption irrebuttable and conclusive under the specified conditions, eliminating the burden of proving causation between occupational exposure and cancer diagnosis.

• Does not apply to respiratory tract cancers if there is evidence that tobacco or cigarette use outside of official duties substantially contributed to the cancer's development.