DES MOINES, IOWA — For two years in a row the Iowa House passed a bill that would expand the state coverage for cancer types for first responders in the state.

The bill drops the 14 cancers defined in the bill, making it a much wider definition. The goal is to allow firefighters across the state to have the ability to get coverage and have the time off necessary to go get the treatment needed.

The bill passed through the Iowa House last year, but failed to advance through the Senate. But after Wednesday’s unanimous vote, the president of the Des Moines Professional Fire Fighters is encouraged with conversations that are ongoing in the Senate.

“We’re going to up our contribution by .125%,” said Joe Van Haalen. “That puts some more skin in the game.”

By increasing the contribution rate paid by first responders into the benefits program, cities in the state who have to appropriate funds for this and the Iowa Senate can get on board. That is what Van Haalen hopes for come next week’s funnel.

“Our intention is that it’ll go to subcommittee. We’ve been told by the Senate leadership on Tuesday, then if that all goes well, it will go to full committee by Wednesday,” said Van Haalen. “We’ve got plans to sit down with Senator Whitver on Wednesday before the full committee meeting and make sure he’s okay with everything.”

The bill will have to make it out of the Iowa Senate committee level before next Friday to be deemed safe from the second funnel week deadline. The group of firefighters and the loved ones of first responders who passed due to cancer that advocated for this for the last two sessions can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Mike Broderick, Brian Stoaks, that’s who it is all about,” said Van Haalen. “It sounds cliche, but they were some of the best we had … and we want to make sure that those guys in the future, if something happens like this that number one, they get the time off and are taken care of immediately.”

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