FIREFIGHTER CANCER BILL OPPOSED BY LEAGUE OF CITIES

by Michael Monks 

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House Bill 326, co-sponsored by Dennis Keene (D-Wilder), reads as follows:

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 95 to establish that cancer, resulting in either temporary or permanent disability or death, is an occupational disease for full-time firefighters; establish the guidelines for compensation; establish the types of carcinogens associated with specific types of cancers.

The Kentucky League of Cities opposes the bill:

KLC opposes HB 326 because it would dramatically increase insurance costs for city governments.

Here is how the KLC describes it:

The effect will be to allow the firefighter to make a worker's compensation claim that will be difficult for the local government to rebut and will result in a dramatic increase in workers compensation premiums paid by the city governments. KLC estimates that the total cost to the workers compensation system will be between $104 million to $132 million over the next 20 years. The exact impact on individual city workers compensation premiums will vary among cities.
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Now that the bill has cleared the committee with unanimous approval (besides one "pass" vote), it awaits a vote from the full House. A vote on the bill could occur as early as Tuesday unless cities make their opposition known to all members of the House.

The KLC is also opposed to more firefighter-related legislation, including House Bill 214:

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 95A to require that scheduled overtime for professional firefighters and EMS personnel be included in the computation of the average weekly wages for workers' compensation benefits .

KLC's objection:

KLC opposes the bill because it would increase the workers compensation indemnity payments to firefighters by approximately 12 percent, which would cause increases in workers compensation insurance premiums paid by many cities. The amount of premium increases would vary among the cities, hitting those cities with more firefighters on the payroll harder. The final vote to pass the measure in the House was 84-8. 

The bill was supported by Dennis Keene (D-Wilder)and Thomas Kerr (R-Taylor Mill). Arnold Simpson (D-Covington) did not vote.

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Meanwhile, the KLC supports several pieces of legislation including House Bill 368, a proposed restaurant tax:

Amend KRS 91A.400 to allow all cities, urban-county governments, consolidated local governments, unified local governments, and charter county governments to charge a restaurant tax; provide that up to 75% of the tax may be used for quality of life expenditures that support tourism, recreation, and economic development with a minimum of 25% going to the local tourist and convention commission; provide for crediting provisions, and that for jurisdictions enacting this tax for the first time after January 1, 2012, that the restaurants in those jurisdictions do not pay any other local license tax or fee. 

The KLC describes the bill thusly:

The legislation would permit all cities to impose a restaurant tax and retain up to 75 percent of the revenue for quality of life expenditures related to tourism, recreation, or economic development and provide a minimum of 25 percent of the proceeds to the local tourism commission for promotion of local tourism. In addition, the legislation would prohibit a city that chooses to impose the tax after January 1, 2012 from collecting net profits or gross receipts occupational license taxes on the restaurant. In other words, the city will choose to collect a restaurant tax or continue to collect net profits or gross receipts taxes on restaurants.

Other legislation includes ensuring that contractors and subcontractors awarded local government contracts use legal labor. Read the KLC's report at this link and look up each bill for neutral explanation at this link.