HB255 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jim Barton

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Chad FincherDavid Sessions

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Firefighters, death or disability benefits for occupational disease for state firefighters, definition of occupational diseases expanded for municipal firefighters to include a cerebral vascular accident or stroke, Sec. 11-43-144 am'd.

Summary

HB255 would expand firefighter occupational disease benefits to state firefighters and broaden municipal firefighter coverage to include stroke, new diseases, and presumptions about how these conditions are connected to work.

What This Bill Does

Adds cerebral vascular accident or stroke to the definition of a municipal firefighter's occupational disease. Provides death and disability benefits for state firefighters for occupational diseases. Expands the list of covered diseases to include hypertension, heart disease, respiratory disease, cancer with a workplace exposure presumption, HIV, and hepatitis, with specific rules for when these conditions are presumed to be work-related. Requires the state or municipality to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a disqualifying condition was caused by something other than the firefighter's occupation. Establishes the act’s effective date after gubernatorial approval and makes it retroactive to September 10, 2011.

Who It Affects

• State-employed firefighters — would be eligible for death or disability benefits for occupational diseases under the expanded definitions and benefits framework, with the same evidentiary standards used to disqualify them.
• Municipal firefighters — existing benefits would be expanded to include stroke and the broadened list of occupational diseases, with related presumptions and requirements applying to benefit eligibility.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 11-43-144 to include cerebral vascular accident or stroke in the municipal firefighter's occupational disease definition.
• Makes state firefighters eligible for death and disability benefits for occupational diseases defined under the bill.
• Expands the list of firefighter's occupational diseases to include hypertension, heart disease, respiratory disease, cerebral vascular accident or stroke, cancer (with a presumption linked to exposure to known carcinogens), HIV, and hepatitis.
• For cancer, HIV, and hepatitis, provides presumptions based on exposure in the line of duty, requiring the state to prove by a preponderance of evidence that the condition was caused by non-occupational factors to disqualify benefits.
• Requires the state or municipality to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a condition was caused by something other than the occupation in order to deny benefits.
• Defines benefit, disability, firefighter, and firefighter's occupational disease for both state and municipal contexts within Section 2, aligning how benefits are calculated and paid.
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval, with retroactivity to September 10, 2011.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Firefighters