On March 17, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved Senate Bill 802. This legislation approved $1 million for the First Responders Presumed Coverage Reimbursement Fund. This fund was first created in 2015 to "help first responders who developed cancers after years of exposure to hazardous materials," according to the Lansing State Journal.
Though the fund is over a year old, the committee had yet to make any deposits. However as of March 17, there was a unanimous vote to make the $1 million deposit.
"When firefighters get to the scene of a fire, they have to work as a team. I'm proud that we've worked as a team to get this done," Sen. Curtis Hertel told the Detroit Free Press. "Let's make sure that never again when someone who is injured in the line of duty is not taken care of."
The committee has plans to increase the deposit into the fund by $2 million in next year's budget, as reported by the Lansing State Journal. The fund will cover firefighters who develop lymphatic cancer and cancers of the respiratory tract, bladder, skin, brain, kidney, blood, thyroid, testicular or prostate because of exposure to hazardous materials on the job.