Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is introducing new legislation that would expand access to federal benefits for families of firefighters and other first responders who die from cancer-related to their jobs.
Klobuchar says the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act would also extend disability benefits when firefighters or first responders become permanently disabled due to cancer.
The legislation was introduced in honor of St. Paul fire captain Michael Paidar who died of cancer in 2020. His family was forced to fight for benefits through the state’s public safety benefits program.
First responders have responded to the legislation sharing their approval. The Fraternal Order of Police released a statement sharing that they strongly support the measure from Klobuchar.
“Our law enforcement officers are in harm’s way each and every day. They are exposed not only to physical threats, but also unseen or unknown threats while operating in potentially hazardous environments,” the group’s president Patrick Yoes wrote Klobuchar in a letter. “Public safety officers who are exposed to known carcinogens and who contract cancer that ends their lives or disables them should be considered to have sustained a personal injury in the line of duty for the purposes of the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program.”
The legislation addresses the stark reality that officers who suffer from cancer caused by on-the-job exposure are not covered through their current benefits programs, despite their sacrifice to serve and protect.
Klobuchar and her co-sponsor on the bill, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), acknowledge this in their legislation, and she says it’s the right thing to do.
“It is only right that we treat cancer caused by on-the-job exposure, and that’s what it would be… the same way we treat other physical injuries,” Klobuchar said.
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