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IN HB1585
Bill
Status
1/22/2019
Primary Sponsor
Timothy Wesco
Click for details
AI Summary
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Authorizes local fire departments to collect a carcinogen exposure fee of up to $500 from property owners, lessees, occupants, or their insurance companies after fighting a fire at a dwelling or office
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Fee proceeds must be used to protect firefighters from carcinogen exposure, including purchasing specialized washing machines to clean turnout gear, buying extra sets of turnout gear, and funding cancer health screenings
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Applies to fires in dwellings and offices that contain plastic or synthetic materials, which produce potential carcinogens like dioxins, furans, or styrene gas when burned
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Local legislative bodies must establish the fee by ordinance; applies to county, city, town, and township fire departments as well as volunteer fire departments
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Effective date: July 1, 2019
Legislative Description
Fire department carcinogen exposure fee. Authorizes the establishment and collection of a carcinogen exposure fee of up to $500 to be collected from the owner, lessee, or occupant of a dwelling or office, or from the owner's, lessee's, or occupant's insurance company, after a fire department established by a county, city, town, or township or a volunteer fire department has fought a fire involving the dwelling or office. Provides that the proceeds of the carcinogen exposure fee must be used for expenditures that help to protect firefighters against the effects of potential or suspected carcinogens and other toxic gases to which they are exposed when fighting fires, such as: (1) the purchase or repair of specialized washing machines to remove potentially carcinogenic or toxic residue from the firefighters' turnout gear after it has been worn while fighting a fire; (2) the purchase of extra sets of turnout gear so that firefighters may wear clean turnout gear while the turnout gear worn while fighting a previous fire is being cleaned; and (3) paying the cost of health screening of firefighters for types of cancer and other health problems that are believed to be more common among firefighters than among the general public due to the exposure of firefighters to carcinogens and other toxic gases from fires. Provides that the carcinogen exposure fee must be established by ordinance of the legislative body of the county, city, town, or township served by the fire department.
Last Action
First reading: referred to Committee on Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
1/22/2019