July 27, 2023

Gallego Applauds Bipartisan Senate Amendment Reauthorizing the Firefighter Cancer Registry

PHOENIX, AZ — Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) applauded the U.S. Senate for approving a bipartisan amendment to their National Defense Authorization Act reauthorizing the Firefighter Cancer Registry, a program requiring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to maintain a voluntary cancer registry of firefighters.

“Arizona’s first responders deserve all the medical care they need, no questions asked,” said Rep. Gallego. “That’s why I’m grateful the Senate pushed forward with their amendment to make sure no firefighter is left behind by maintaining the CDC’s cancer reporting system.”

The amendment to the NDAA reauthorizes the national registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer for an additional five years. Specifically, the registry:

  1. Stores and consolidates epidemiological information submitted by health care professionals related to cancer incidence among firefighters;
  2. Makes de-identified data available to public health researchers to provide them with robust and comprehensive datasets to expand groundbreaking research;
  3. Improves our understanding of cancer incidence and could potentially lead to the development of more sophisticated safety protocols and safeguards as more data is collected; and
  4. Requires administrators to consult regularly with epidemiologists, public health experts, clinicians, and firefighters in order to ensure the effectiveness of the registry.

In May, Rep Gallego held a press conference with first responders to discuss his support for protecting the health and safety of Arizona firefighters. At the press conference, he announced his support for the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2023 (HONOR Act).

The HONOR Act would add a presumptive benefit under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program for exposure-related cancers that they are more likely to suffer from because of their profession. The PSOB program provides federal disability and death benefits to first responders and their families.