HB 1757 — An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in miscellaneous provisions relating to emergency management services, providing for firefighter cancer registry.

PRINTER'S NO.    2165

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1757
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY SCOTT, PIELLI, GIRAL, HARKINS, DONAHUE, HILL-
        EVANS, SANCHEZ, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MAYES, NEILSON, HOWARD,
        HOHENSTEIN AND D. WILLIAMS, JULY 23, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, JULY 23, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in miscellaneous provisions relating
 3      to emergency management services, providing for firefighter
 4      cancer registry.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.    Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 8   Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
 9   § 7715.   Firefighter cancer registry.
10      (a)    Establishment of registry.--The department shall develop
11   and maintain a firefighter cancer registry, which shall be a
12   voluntary registry of firefighters to collect relevant history
13   and occupational information from firefighters that can be
14   linked to available cancer registry data collected by existing
15   Commonwealth cancer registries.
16      (b)    Registry requirements.--The department shall seek to
17   include the following information for each firefighter included
18   in the registry:
 1            (1)   The age and demographic information of the
 2      firefighter.
 3            (2)   The status of the firefighter as either a paid or
 4      volunteer firefighter.
 5            (3)   The number of years working as a firefighter.
 6            (4)   The number of fire incidents attended to by the
 7      firefighter, including the number of incidents involving a
 8      residential house fire, the number of incidents involving a
 9      commercial fire and the number of incidents involving any
10      other type of fire.
11            (5)   Whether the firefighter's history includes smoking
12      or drug use.
13            (6)   Relevant physical examination and medical history
14      information.
15            (7)   Any additional information that is deemed necessary
16      by the department.
17      (c)   Consulting experts.--For the purpose of developing and
18   maintaining the registry, the department shall consult experts
19   with experience in developing and maintaining cancer registries,
20   studying cancer incidence, diagnosing and treating cancer and
21   firefighting.
22      (d)   Reviewing data and providing public availability.--The
23   department shall review data reported to the registry to
24   identify trends in cancer incidence among firefighters
25   throughout this Commonwealth, including identifying any regional
26   disparities in cancer incidence and developing strategies to
27   mitigate risk factors for firefighters developing cancer. The
28   following apply:
29            (1)   The department shall make registry data available to
30      the public and shall furnish epidemiological registry data,

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 1      without fee, to any entity requesting the data for research
 2      purposes. The department may authorize the use of registry
 3      information in journal articles and other print and Internet-
 4      based publications. Data made available under this subsection
 5      shall include raw, de-identified data, cancer incidence
 6      statistics and trends and other findings identified based on
 7      the department's review of registry data.
 8            (2)   The department shall periodically review the
 9      registry to identify and implement improvements to registry
10      infrastructure and Statewide monitoring of cancer incidence
11      data and to develop a strategy for increasing awareness of
12      the registry and maximizing the voluntary reporting of
13      information to the registry.
14            (3)   Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to
15      authorize the disclosure of any confidential or personal
16      identifying information.
17      (e)   Reporting.--Beginning one year after the effective date
18   of this subsection, and annually thereafter, the department
19   shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General
20   Assembly concerning its findings regarding trends in cancer
21   incidence among firefighters in this Commonwealth, including any
22   recommendations for reducing the cancer rate and risk factors
23   for developing cancer among firefighters and recommendations for
24   legislative, administrative or other action as may be
25   appropriate to reduce cancer incidence among firefighters or to
26   improve the functioning of, and participation in, the registry.
27      (f)   Confidentiality of information.--Names and individual
28   identification data collected under this section shall not be
29   disclosed unless required by law, and nothing in this section
30   shall be construed to require disclosure of any private or

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 1   confidential health information in violation of Federal or State
 2   privacy laws. Information reported to the registry shall not be
 3   admissible in any civil or criminal proceeding and shall not
 4   constitute the basis for any professional or administrative
 5   disciplinary action against an individual reporting the
 6   individual's own information to the registry.
 7      (g)   Definitions.--The following words and phrases when used
 8   in this section shall have the meanings given to them in this
 9   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
10      "Department."   The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
11      "Registry."   The firefighter cancer registry established
12   under this section.
13      Section 2.    This act shall take effect immediately.




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