[115th Congress Public Law 194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 1505]]

                    FIREFIGHTER CANCER REGISTRY ACT 
                                 OF 2018

[[Page 132 STAT. 1506]]

Public Law 115-194
115th Congress

                                 An Act


 
   To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a 
      voluntary registry to collect data on cancer incidence among 
           firefighters. <<NOTE: July 7, 2018 -  [H.R. 931]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Firefighter 
Cancer Registry Act of 2018. 42 USC 201 note.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 
2018.
SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 42 USC 280e-5.>>  VOLUNTARY REGISTRY FOR 
                    FIREFIGHTER CANCER INCIDENCE.

    (a) <<NOTE: Coordination. Grants. Contracts.>>  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) <<NOTE: Determination.>>  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;

[[Page 132 STAT. 1507]]

                          (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) <<NOTE: Estimate.>>  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) <<NOTE: Consultation.>>  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

[[Page 132 STAT. 1508]]

        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) <<NOTE: Public information.>>  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.

[[Page 132 STAT. 1509]]

    (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.

    Approved July 7, 2018.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 931 (S. 382):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115-301 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 163 (2017):
                                    Sept. 12, considered and passed 
                                        House.
                                                        Vol. 164 (2018):
                                    May 10, considered and passed 
                                        Senate, amended.
                                    June 22, House concurred in Senate 
                                        amendment.

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