Parkinson’s Protection for Firefighters Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4658
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-25T19:10:24Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation aims to expand workers' compensation protections for federal firefighters by adding Parkinson's disease to the list of conditions presumed to be caused by employment in fire protection activities under federal law.
Key Provisions
- The bill is titled the "Parkinson's Protection for Firefighters Act."
- It amends Section 8143b(b) of Title 5, United States Code, which addresses illnesses deemed proximately caused by fire protection work.
- The amendment inserts Parkinson's disease into the existing list of covered diseases.
- It also corrects two minor technical errors in the statute: changing the subsection heading from "Diseased" to "Diseases" and fixing "activedate" to "active date."
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Parkinson's disease is added as a new subparagraph (L) in the list of presumptive illnesses, with subsequent items redesignated accordingly.
- This builds on an established framework that already covers other conditions (such as various cancers and respiratory diseases) by creating a legal presumption that the disease results from on-the-job exposure.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Federal workers' compensation programs may see increased claims and benefit payments for eligible firefighters diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
- Citizens: Federal firefighters and their families could gain easier access to compensation without needing to prove causation in individual cases.
- International relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal firefighters employed in fire protection activities.
- Agencies responsible for administering federal employee compensation, such as the Department of Labor.
- Firefighter advocacy groups and unions representing federal employees.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The bill extends an existing presumption-based approach to workers' compensation, which shifts the burden of proof in favor of claimants for listed conditions.
- No major constitutional issues are raised in the text, as it pertains to federal employee benefits under existing statutory authority.
- The measure reflects a policy focus on occupational health risks specific to firefighting.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-02: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2026-06-02: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Parkinson’s Protection for Firefighters Act — issued 2026-06-02 — PDF (2 pages)