Bill Positions

Bill Number: SB 646

Bill Title: Workers' Compensation - Medical Presumptions

Bill Sponsor(s): Sens. Pugh, et al.

Subject: Workers' Compensation

Committee: FIN

Bill Summary: This bill would have altered the occupational disease presumption under workers compensation law for certain public safety paid or volunteer personnel (firefighter, fire fighting instructors, or state fire marshal, etc.) employed by a county, municipality, airport authority, or state. It would haved added 15 diseases or cancers as occupational diseases suffered in the line of duty that are compensable.

History: In 2010 this bill died in the Senate Finance Committee without a vote.

Chamber Position: Oppose

Position Summary: This legislation would have likely resulted in a significant increase in local government expenditures resulting from claims due to expansion of the list of presumed occupational diseases. Such legislation would set an undesired and unwarranted precedent that would likely lead to unnecessary presumption against private sector workers as well. This legislation attempted to add the most common cancers throughout the general population as presumed occupational diseases. There is little assurance that such cancers that have a greater impact on the general population should be included among those suffered in the line of duty. For these reasons, the Maryland Chamber opposed this legislation.

Position Statement: To view the Chamber's complete position statement, click here (pdf).

Chamber Staff: Allyson Black

General Assembly: Click here to view the bill on the Maryland General Assembly's website.