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H.R. 1174: Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019

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H.R. 1174: Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019

116th Congress · introduced 2019-02-13 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2019-02-13 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019

Plain summary

Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019 This bill provides federal worker's compensation to firefighters who contract certain illnesses as a result of their service. Specifically, the bill provides that (1) heart disease, lung disease, and specified cancers of federal employees employed in fire protection activities for at least 5 years is presumed to be proximately caused by such employment if the employee is diagnosed with the disease within 10 years of their employment in fire protection activities; and (2) the disability or death of the employee due to such disease is presumed to result from personal injury sustained in the performance of duty. These presumptions also apply to fire protection employees who contract any uncommon infectious disease, such as tuberculosis, hepatitis A, B, or C, or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). An employee in fire protection activities is a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker, who (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must examine the implementation of this bill and appropriate scientific and medical data related to the health risks of firefighting.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2019

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] · 69 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Don Bacon (R-NE), Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), Mark Takano (D-CA), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Michael R. Turner (R-OH), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Tom Cole (R-OK), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Angie Craig (D-MN), Bill Foster (D-IL), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-CA) and 9 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] reported raising $1.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-hr1174 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116