Federal Firefighter Cancer Detection and Prevention Act of 2023
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide its firefighters with medical testing and related services to detect, document, and prevent certain cancers. DOD firefighters may opt out of such testing or services.
DOD must document certain information related to the offered testing and services, but must ensure personally identifiable information is removed prior to analyzing the information.
DOD may share data with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase the knowledge and understanding of cancer occurrences among firefighters.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2665 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2665
To require the Secretary of Defense to provide to firefighters of the
Department of Defense medical testing and related services to detect
and prevent certain cancers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 27, 2023
Mr. Carper (for himself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Defense to provide to firefighters of the
Department of Defense medical testing and related services to detect
and prevent certain cancers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Firefighter Cancer Detection
and Prevention Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. MEDICAL TESTING AND RELATED SERVICES FOR FIREFIGHTERS OF
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
(a) Provision of Services.--During the annual periodic health
assessment of each firefighter of the Department of Defense, or at such
other intervals as may be indicated in subsection (b), the Secretary of
Defense shall provide to the firefighter (at no cost to the
firefighter) appropriate medical testing and related services to
detect, document the presence or absence of, and prevent, certain
cancers.
(b) Criteria.--Services required to be provided under subsection
(a) shall meet, at a minimum, the following criteria:
(1) Breast cancer.--With respect to breast cancer
screening, if the firefighter is a female firefighter--
(A) such services shall include the provision of a
mammogram to the firefighter--
(i) if the firefighter is 40 years old to
49 years old (inclusive), not less frequently
than twice each year;
(ii) if the firefighter is 50 years old or
older, not less frequently than annually; and
(iii) as clinically indicated (without
regard to age); and
(B) in connection with the provision of a mammogram
under subparagraph (A), a licensed radiologist shall
review the most recent mammogram provided to the
firefighter, as compared to prior mammograms so
provided, and provide to the firefighter the results of
such review.
(2) Colon cancer.--With respect to colon cancer screening--
(A) if the firefighter is 40 years old or older, or
as clinically indicated without regard to age, such
services shall include the communication to the
firefighter of the risks and benefits of stool-based
blood testing;
(B) if the firefighter is 45 years old or older, or
as clinically indicated without regard to age, such
services shall include the provision, at regular
intervals, of visual examinations (such as a
colonoscopy, CT colonoscopy, or flexible sigmoidoscopy)
or stool-based blood testing; and
(C) in connection with the provision of a visual
examination or stool-based blood testing under
subparagraph (B), a licensed physician shall review and
provide to the firefighter the results of such
examination or testing, as the case may be.
(3) Prostate cancer.--With respect to prostate cancer
screening, if the firefighter is a male firefighter, such
services shall include the communication to the firefighter of
the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screenings and the
provision to the firefighter of a prostate-specific antigen
test--
(A) not less frequently than annually if the
firefighter--
(i) is 50 years old or older; or
(ii) is 40 years old or older and is a
high-risk individual; and
(B) as clinically indicated (without regard to
age).
(4) Other cancers.--Such services shall include routine
screenings for any other cancer the risk or occurrence of which
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
has identified as higher among firefighters than among the
general public, the provision of which shall be carried out
during the annual periodic health assessment of the
firefighter.
(c) Optional Nature.--A firefighter of the Department of Defense
may opt out of the receipt of medical testing or a related service
provided under subsection (a).
(d) Use of Consensus Technical Standards.--In providing medical
testing and related services under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
use consensus technical standards in accordance with section 12(d) of
the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (Public
Law 104-113; 15 U.S.C. 272 note).
(e) Documentation.--
(1) In general.--In providing medical testing and related
services under subsection (a), the Secretary--
(A) shall document the acceptance rates of such
tests offered and the rates of such tests performed;
(B) shall document tests results to identify trends
in the rates of cancer occurrences among firefighters;
and
(C) may collect and maintain additional information
from the recipients of such tests and other services to
allow for appropriate scientific analysis.
(2) Privacy.--In analyzing any information of an individual
documented, collected, or maintained under paragraph (1), in
addition to complying with other applicable privacy laws, the
Secretary shall ensure the name and any other personally
identifiable information of the individual is removed from such
information prior to the analysis.
(3) Sharing with centers for disease control and
prevention.--The Secretary may share data from any tests
performed under subsection (a) with the Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, as appropriate, to increase
the knowledge and understanding of cancer occurrences among
firefighters.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Firefighter.--The term ``firefighter'' means someone
whose primary job or military occupational specialty is being a
firefighter.
(2) High-risk individual.--The term ``high-risk
individual'' means an individual who--
(A) is African American;
(B) has at least one first-degree relative who has
been diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age; or
(C) is otherwise determined by the Secretary to be
high risk with respect to prostate cancer.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
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