A bill is moving through the legislature relating to coverages with cancer for local firefighters, and an Iowa legislator gives her stance on the matter.

House Study Bill 266 and Senate File 272 state that an act concerning retirement and employment benefits associated with cancer and making appropriations. Iowa District 14 Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott expresses that under current Iowa law, there is a list of cancers that are covered, albeit she mentions, it’s very limited. She reveals that firefighters have been asking lawmakers to expand the list because there’s many cancers that affect them while they’re on the job. 

Trone-Garriott explains that in 2024, the bill passed the House unanimously, but did not advance in the Senate. She was hopeful that this year, it would pass through the Senate, and yet again, it hasn’t, meaning that the bill is dead. However, Trone-Garriott points out that the bill is still alive in the House, and it can reappear later on to the Senate, but she believes that there will still be obstacles.

“For some reason, the Senate is unwilling to move it forward. It’s something that’s necessary, it’s popular and supported on the House side (and) I don’t understand why Republican leadership isn’t willing to move it forward here, and so people need to keep reaching out to their legislators and say ‘hey, this is important to us, make it happen.’”

Trone-Garriott wants to continue to hear from firefighters, and remains optimistic that the bill will eventually be pushed through the Senate.