BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           2253 (Coto)
          
          Hearing Date:  8/12/2010        Amended: 5/28/2010
          Consultant:  Bob Franzoia       Policy Vote: L&IR 4-1
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          ____
          BILL SUMMARY: AB 2253 would provide that an existing presumption  
          for work related injury shall be extended to specified fire  
          fighters and police officers following termination of service  
          for a period of three months for each year of service but not to  
          exceed 120 months in any circumstance, commencing with the last  
          day actually worked in the specified capacity.
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          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
           Extension of presumption          Unknown, multimillions of  
          dollars in new         General/
          period for one type of costs ongoing                    Special
          work related injury                                     
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          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
          
          Under current law, this presumption extends for 60 months or  
          five years.  This bill would extend this presumption for 120  
          months or ten years.  In practical terms, if a fire fighter or  
          policy officer develops cancer within five years of his or her  
          last day of work, the cancer, assuming specified conditions are  
          met, is an injury presumed to have been sustained in the course  
          of his or her employment.  If that cancer developed after five  
          years, that presumption is not valid.  Under this bill, the  
          presumption period would be extended an additional five years,  
          for a total of ten years. 

          According to California Cancer Facts and Figures, cancer  
          incidence in California is about the same or somewhat lower than  
          elsewhere in the United States for most types of cancer.   
          Despite improvements in treatment, nearly one out of every two  
          Californians born today will develop cancer at some point in  
          their lives, and it is likely that one five will die of the  










          disease.  This bill implicitly assumes that all cancers  
          contracted by fire fighters and police officers are work related  
          unless the employer can prove otherwise.  

          Definitive data on the number of cancer related claims among  
          fire fighters and police officers remains elusive.  However, it  
          would be safe to estimate at a minimum a doubling of the number  
          of claims and costs if the presumption period is doubled.