[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 105 (Friday, June 22, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5572-H5573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FIREFIGHTER CANCER REGISTRY ACT OF 2017
Mr. COLLINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take
from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 931) to require the Secretary
of Health and Human Services to develop a voluntary registry to collect
data on cancer incidence among firefighters, with the Senate amendment
thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the Senate amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
Senate amendment:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the Firefighter Cancer Registry
Act of 2018.
SEC. 2. VOLUNTARY REGISTRY FOR FIREFIGHTER CANCER INCIDENCE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this section as the Secretary), acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and in coordination with other agencies as the
Secretary determines appropriate, shall develop and maintain,
directly or through a grant or cooperative agreement, a
voluntary registry of firefighters (referred to in this
section as the Firefighter Registry) to collect relevant
health and occupational information of such firefighters for
purposes of determining cancer incidence.
(b) Use of Firefighter Registry.--The Firefighter Registry
may be used for the following purposes:
(1) To improve data collection and data coordination
activities related to the nationwide monitoring of the
incidence of cancer among firefighters.
(2) To collect, consolidate, and maintain, consistent with
subsection (g), epidemiological information and analyses
related to cancer incidence and trends among firefighters
(c) Relevant Data.--
(1) Data collection.--In carrying out the voluntary data
collection for purposes of inclusion under the Firefighter
Registry, the Secretary may collect the following:
(A) Information, as determined by the Secretary under
subsection (d)(1), of volunteer, paid-on-call, and career
firefighters, independent of cancer status or diagnosis.
(B) Individual risk factors and occupational history of
firefighters.
(C) Information, if available, related to--
(i) basic demographic information, including--
(I) the age of the firefighter involved during the relevant
dates of occupation as a firefighter; and
(II) the age of cancer diagnosis;
(ii) the status of the firefighter as either volunteer,
paid-on-call, or career firefighter;
(iii) the total number of years of occupation as a
firefighter and a detailing of additional employment
experience, whether concurrent, before, or anytime
thereafter;
(iv)(I) the approximate number of fire incidents attended,
including information related to the type of fire incidents
and the role of the firefighter in responding to the
incident; or
(II) in the case of a firefighter for whom information on
such number and type is unavailable, an estimate of such
number and type based on the method developed under
subsection (d)(1)(D); and
(v) other medical information and health history, including
additional risk factors, as appropriate, and other
information relevant to a cancer incidence study of
firefighters.
(2) Information on diagnoses and treatment.--In carrying
out paragraph (1), with respect to diagnoses and treatment of
firefighters with cancer, the Secretary shall, as
appropriate, enable the Firefighter Registry to
electronically connect to State-based cancer registries, for
a purpose described by clause (vi) or (vii) of section
399B(c)(2)(D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280e(c)(2)(D)), to obtain--
(A) date of diagnoses and source of information; and
(B) pathological data characterizing the cancer, including
cancer site, state of disease (pursuant to Staging Guide),
incidence, and type of treatment.
(d) Firefighter Registry Coordination Strategy.--
(1) Required strategy.--The Secretary shall, in
consultation with the relevant stakeholders identified in
subsection (e), including epidemiologists and pathologists,
develop a strategy to coordinate data collection activities,
including within existing State registries, for inclusion in
the Firefighter Registry established under this Act. The
strategy may include the following:
(A) Increasing awareness of the Firefighter Registry and
encouraging participation among volunteer, paid-on-call, and
career firefighters.
(B) Consideration of unique data collection needs that may
arise to generate a statistically reliable representation of
minority, female, and volunteer firefighters, including
methods, as needed, to encourage participation from such
populations.
(C) Information on how the Secretary will store data
described in subsection (c)(1) and provide electronic access
to relevant health information described in subsection
(c)(2).
(D) Working in consultation with the experts described in
subsection (e), a reliable and standardized method for
estimating the number of fire incidents attended by a
firefighter as well as the type of fire incident so attended
in the case such firefighter is unable to provide such
information.
(2) Report to congress.--The Secretary shall submit the
strategy described in paragraph (1) to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate not later than 30 days after the date of the
completion of the strategy.
(3) Guidance for inclusion and maintenance of data on
firefighters.--The Secretary shall develop, in consultation
with the stakeholders identified in subsection (e), State
health agencies, State departments of homeland security, and
volunteer, paid-on-call, combination, and career firefighting
agencies, a strategy for inclusion of firefighters in the
registry that are representative of the general population of
firefighters, that outlines the following:
(A) How new information about firefighters will be
submitted to the Firefighter Registry for inclusion.
(B) How information about firefighters will be maintained
and updated in the Firefighter Registry over time.
(C) A method for estimating the number of fire incidents
attended by a firefighter as well as the type of fire
incident so attended in the case such firefighter is unable
to provide such information.
(D) Further information, as deemed necessary by the
Secretary.
(e) Consultation and Report.--The Secretary shall consult
with non-Federal experts on the Firefighter Registry
established under this section, and shall submit to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives a report that includes, as appropriate,
information on goals achieved and improvements needed to
strengthen the Firefighter Registry. Such non-Federal experts
shall include the following:
(1) Public health experts with experience in developing and
maintaining cancer registries.
(2) Epidemiologists with experience in studying cancer
incidence.
(3) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing and treating
cancer incidence.
(4) Active and retired volunteer, paid-on-call, and career
firefighters as well as relevant national fire and emergency
response organizations.
(f) Research Availability.--Subject to subsection (g), the
Secretary shall ensure that information and analysis in the
Firefighter Registry are available, as appropriate, to the
public, including researchers, firefighters, and national
fire service organizations.
(g) Privacy.--In carrying out this Act, the Secretary shall
ensure that information in and analysis of the Firefighter
Registry are made available in a manner that, at a minimum,
protects personal privacy to the extent required by
applicable Federal and State privacy law.
(h) Authorization of Funds.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated $2,500,000 for each
of the fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
Mr. COLLINS of New York (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask
unanimous consent to dispense with the reading.
[[Page H5573]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the original request
of the gentleman from New York?
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I want to
thank Representatives Chris Collins and Frank Pallone and Senators
Menendez and Lisa Murkowski for the support and work to get this
bipartisan bill to protect the health and wellbeing of our Nation's
firefighters across the finish line.
I am pleased this bill, which has the strong support of the
firefighter community, will finally be on its way to the President's
desk. I look forward to working with all the stakeholders to create a
firefighter cancer registry with this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the original request
of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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