[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 4285

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED JUNE 27, 2018

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  YVONNE LOPEZ

District 19 (Middlesex)

Assemblywoman  ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

Assemblyman  JOHN ARMATO

District 2 (Atlantic)

Senator  JOSEPH F. VITALE

District 19 (Middlesex)

Senator  TROY SINGLETON

District 7 (Burlington)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman DeAngelo, Assemblywoman Schepisi, Assemblyman Conaway, Assemblywomen Jimenez, Pinkin, Assemblymen Wirths, Space, Assemblywomen DiMaso, McKnight, Assemblyman Danielsen, Senator Greenstein, Assemblywomen Lampitt and Downey

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires Commissioner of Health to develop voluntary registry to collect cancer incidence data from firefighters.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on January 17, 2019, with amendments.

  


An Act concerning firefighters and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

      1.   This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 1[2018] 20191.”

 

      2.   a.  The Commissioner of Health shall develop and maintain a firefighter cancer registry, which shall be a voluntary registry of firefighters to collect relevant history and occupational information from firefighters that can be linked to available cancer registry data collected by existing State cancer registries.

      b.   The 1[Commissioner] commissioner1 shall seek to include the following information for each firefighter included in the firefighter cancer registry:

      (1)  the age and demographic information of the firefighter;

      (2)  the status of the firefighter as either a 1paid or1 volunteer 1[or a career]1 firefighter;

      (3)  the number of years working as a firefighter;

      (4)  the number of fire incidents attended to by the firefighter 1, including the number of incidents involving a residential house fire, the number of incidents involving a commercial fire, and the number of incidents involving any other type of fire1;

      (5)  whether the firefighter’s history includes smoking or drug use;

      (6)  relevant physical examination and medical history information; and

      (7)  any additional information that is deemed necessary by the 1[Commissioner] commissioner1.

      c.   For the purpose of developing and maintaining the firefighter registry established pursuant to this section, the 1[Commissioner] commissioner1 shall consult experts with experience in developing and maintaining cancer registries, studying cancer incidence, diagnosing and treating cancer, and firefighting.

 

      3.   1[The Commissioner of Health shall] a.  The Department of Health shall review data reported to the registry to identify trends in cancer incidence among firefighters throughout the State, including identifying any regional disparities in cancer incidence and developing strategies to mitigate risk factors for firefighters developing cancer.  The department shall make registry data available to the public and shall furnish epidemiological registry data, without fee, to any entity requesting the data for research purposes.  The department may authorize the use of registry information in journal articles and other print and Internet-based publications.  Data made available pursuant to this section shall include, but shall not be limited to, raw, de-identified data, cancer incidence statistics, and trends and other findings identified based on the department’s review of registry data.

      b.   The commissioner shall periodically review the cancer registry to identify and implement improvements to registry infrastructure and Statewide monitoring of cancer incidence data, as well as to1 develop a strategy for increasing awareness of the firefighter cancer registry and maximizing 1[participation in sending] the voluntary reporting of1 information to the registry.

      1c.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the disclosure of any confidential or personal identifying information.1

 

      4.   1[The Commissioner of Health] Commencing one year after the effective date of this act, and annually thereafter, the department1 shall 1submit a1 report 1[any findings made pursuant to this act]1 to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature 1, concerning its findings regarding trends in cancer incidence among firefighters in New Jersey, including any recommendations for reducing the cancer rate and risk factors for developing cancer among firefighters, and any recommendations for legislative, administrative, or other action as may be appropriate to reduce cancer incidence among firefighters or to improve the functioning of, and participation in, the cancer registry1.

 

     1[5.  The Commissioner of Health shall develop and make public a process for making data collected through the firefighter cancer registry available without a fee for research while maintaining the privacy standards adopted pursuant to section 6 of this act.]1

 

      1[6.]  5.1  Names and individual identification data collected pursuant to the provisions of this act shall not be disclosed 1[by the Commissioner of Health]1 unless required by law, and nothing in this act shall be construed to require disclosure of any private or confidential health information in violation of State or federal privacy laws.  1Information reported to the registry shall not be admissible in any civil or criminal proceeding, and shall not constitute the basis for any professional or administrative disciplinary action against an individual reporting the individual’s own information to the registry.1

 

     1[7.]      6.1    This act shall take effect immediately.