HB532 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Russell BedsoleRepresentative

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Tommy HanesMike HolmesEd OliverRex ReynoldsProncey RobertsonAllen TreadawayTim Wadsworth

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Firefighters, occupational disease, to provide further for which cancers are included within meaning of firefighter's occupational disease, Sec. 11-43-144 am'd.

Summary

HB532 expands city firefighters' death benefits by adding certain diseases as occupational, creates cancer-related presumptions, and requires cities to prove non-occupational causes while treating some cancer deaths as line-of-duty.

What This Bill Does

It adds cancer (with exposure link), AIDS, hepatitis, hypertension, heart disease, and respiratory disease to the list of firefighter's occupational diseases. If a qualifying firefighter is disabled or dies from these diseases, benefits are paid the same as other line-of-duty cases, and cancer deaths within 10 years of last employment are treated as line-of-duty deaths. To deny benefits, the city must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the condition was caused by non-occupational factors.

Who It Affects

• Firefighters employed by cities who develop one of the listed occupational diseases or die from them and may receive disability or death benefits.
• City or municipal governments that administer and fund these benefits and must determine whether non-occupational causes apply.

Key Provisions

• Expands firefighter's occupational disease to include cancer (with evidence of exposure linked to the job) and AIDS, hepatitis, hypertension, heart disease, and respiratory disease.
• Cancer death within 10 years after last employment is automatically treated as a line-of-duty death for benefits purposes.
• Disability and death benefits for qualifying firefighters are payable in the same way as other line-of-duty injuries or deaths.
• To disqualify benefits for cancer, heart disease, hypertension, or respiratory disease, the city must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that non-occupational causes were responsible.
• Eligibility requires at least three years of service and an entry physical exam (or equivalent grandfathering for older entrants).
• Effective date: becomes law on the first day of the third month after approval by the Governor.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Firefighters