Counties - No-Cost Preventive Cancer Screenings for Volunteer and Retired Volunteer Firefighters, the official text

WES MOORE, Governor         Ch. 319

Chapter 319

             (Senate Bill 579)

AN ACT concerning

  Counties – No–Cost Preventive Cancer Screenings for Volunteer and Retired
                                             Volunteer Firefighters

FOR the purpose of requiring counties in which a volunteer fire company is located to offer
         no–cost preventive cancer screenings in accordance with certain guidelines to
         volunteer firefighters volunteering and retired volunteer firefighters who
         volunteered with the volunteer fire company; authorizing a county to satisfy the
         requirement by providing a certain annual examination or applying for a certain
         grant; requiring the volunteer fire companies to maintain a certain list of volunteer
         firefighters and retired volunteer firefighters and provide the list, annually and on
         request, to the county in which the volunteer fire company is located; requiring the
         counties to maintain the list provided; and generally relating to the provision of
         no–cost preventive cancer screenings for volunteer and retired volunteer firefighters
         by counties.

BY adding to
         Article – Local Government
         Section 9–115
         Annotated Code of Maryland
         (2013 Volume and 2025 Supplement)

         SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND,
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

             Article – Local Government

9–115.

        (A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS
INDICATED.

                (2) “RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL
WHO IS A RETIRED FIREFIGHTER WHO:

             (I) VOLUNTEERED WITH A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IN A

COUNTY;

                         (II) WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN FIRE SUPPRESSION WHILE
VOLUNTEERING WITH THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY; AND

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Ch. 319                  2026 LAWS OF MARYLAND

                         (III) HAS RECEIVED BENEFITS UNDER A LENGTH OF SERVICE
AWARD PROGRAM FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS COMPLETED A MINIMUM OF 3 YEARS OF
VOLUNTEER SERVICE; AND

                         (IV) ACCUMULATED AT LEAST 50 POINTS UNDER A LENGTH OF

SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM OR A POINT SYSTEM ESTABLISHED IN LIEU OF A LENGTH

OF SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM.

                (2) (3)  “VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY” INCLUDES A VOLUNTEER
FIRE DEPARTMENT.

         (3) (4)         “VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS

A FIREFIGHTER ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN FIRE SUPPRESSION AND VOLUNTEERING

WITH A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IN A COUNTY.

        (B) (1) EACH COUNTY IN WHICH A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IS
LOCATED SHALL OFFER NO–COST PREVENTIVE CANCER SCREENINGS IN

ACCORDANCE WITH THE LATEST SCREENING GUIDELINES ISSUED BY THE

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS TO EACH VOLUNTEER

FIREFIGHTER WHO VOLUNTEERS AND EACH RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER

WHO VOLUNTEERED WITH THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY.

         (2) EACH VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY SHALL:

                         (I) MAINTAIN AN UP–TO–DATE LIST OF VOLUNTEER

FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARE VOLUNTEERING AND RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

WHO VOLUNTEERED WITH THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY; AND

                         (II) PROVIDE THE LIST TO THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE
VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IS LOCATED:

                         1. ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1 EACH YEAR; AND

                         2. ON REQUEST OF THE COUNTY.

                (3) EACH COUNTY IN WHICH A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IS

LOCATED SHALL MAINTAIN A LIST OF ALL VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS WHO
VOLUNTEER AND ALL RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS WHO VOLUNTEERED IN
THE COUNTY AS PROVIDED BY EACH VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY LOCATED IN THE

COUNTY UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION.

        (C) A COUNTY MAY SATISFY THE REQUIREMENT IN SUBSECTION (B)(1) OF
THIS SECTION BY:

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WES MOORE, Governor  Ch. 319

                (1) PROVIDING A NO–COST ANNUAL EXAMINATION TO VOLUNTEER

FIREFIGHTERS AND RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS THAT INCLUDES
PREVENTIVE CANCER SCREENINGS FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE

LATEST SCREENING GUIDELINES ISSUED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
FIRE FIGHTERS; OR

                (2) APPLYING FOR A GRANT UNDER TITLE 13, SUBTITLE 40 OF THE
HEALTH – GENERAL ARTICLE TO PAY FOR INNOVATIVE CANCER SCREENING
TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING A MULTICANCER EARLY DETECTION BLOOD TEST.

         SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July
1, 2026.

Approved by the Governor, April 28, 2026.

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