WASHINGTON, DC - The House of Representatives today unanimously passed H.R. 931, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017, by voice vote.
Authored by Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), this important public health legislation will require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and maintain a voluntary registry to collect data regarding the incidence of cancer in firefighters. This registry will allow researchers to have a greater understanding of the impacts smoke inhalation and other occupational hazards have on a firefighter’s health, and lead to better treatment options.
“This registry will go a long way towards improving quality of life for the men and women who devote themselves to saving lives," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR). “Coming from a region of the country currently being ravaged by wildfires, I am constantly appreciative of the men and women who go into these dangerous situations of fire and smoke to protect others. This national registry is another way for us to do more to protect them."
Find more information on the committee’s work on this legislation here.
