Senator Hertel asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.
The motion prevailed.
Senator Hertel’s statement, in which Senator Bullock concurred, is as follows:
I am very proud that these bills have come before us, because the effort behind these bills has been years in the making and one that I’ve been very fortunate to play a small part in. In March 2016, Lieutenant Firefighter Nicole Floyd came to me with an idea to add breast cancer to the list of cancers covered by the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund. Although she didn’t have to convince me, she certainly made her case. We got to work and devised a plan, and she devoted a ton of time and energy to building support. It’s taken a long time but it’s finally happening.
In 2017 I worked with my colleague from the 29th District who was then-State Representative Winnie Brinks to include breast cancer as an eligible condition under this fund. Now with the 2019 passage of online gaming and sports betting in Michigan, we have created a dedicated revenue stream to ensure this incredibly important fund is paid for moving forward and have allowed for the expansion of the fund to include our part-time and paid-on-call firefighters as well and this expansion of coverage. With the passage of House Bill Nos. 4171 and 4172, we will expand coverage to more firefighters and reach gender parity by including not only breast cancer but ovarian and cervical cancer as well because this is simply the right thing to do. When firefighters develop cancer from hazards on their job, they deserve coverage and care regardless of their gender or employment type or when they served.
Firefighters are a special kind of courageous. They run into buildings that everyone else is running out of. Their job consists not only of putting themselves at immediate risk, but at risk for long-term health consequences as well. Firefighters are two- to three-times more likely than the average person to develop cancer due to hazardous exposure in the line of duty. It is critical in their time of need we are able to provide and give back to those who have made priceless sacrifices for the safety of their communities. The idea that the essential part of all of this is that we protect those who protect us.
I will proudly vote “yes” today to protect even more firefighters. I urge my colleagues to do the same.
The following bill was read a third time:
House Bill No. 4694, entitled
A bill to amend 1962 PA 174, entitled “Uniform commercial code,” by amending sections 9520, 9521, and 9525 (MCL 440.9520, 440.9521, and 440.9525), section 9520 as amended by 2008 PA 383, section 9521 as amended by 2012 PA 88, and section 9525 as amended by 2016 PA 229.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: