Firefighters' cancer coverage, domestic violence funding discussed

Making it easier for firefighters with cancer to get workers comp benefits. Taking tax breaks away from data centers to pay for domestic violence programs. And attracting “boomerangs” – people who’ve left the state – to return to Nebraska. Those were among ideas discussed in the Capitol Tuesday.

Tuesday, lawmakers began debating a bill (LB400) that would presume firefighters who get cancer got it from their jobs, to qualify them for workers compensation benefits. Sen. Dave Wordekemper, who retired after 38 years as a firefighter, said that currently, those who die are treated better than those who are still alive and working.

“Under current statute, if a firefighter dies of cancer, we presume it's occupational and pay line of duty deaths. But if that same firefighter is diagnosed with cancer while still alive, we deny their claim and then require them to prove it. We require them to hire a lawyer. We require them to fight insurance companies while they're fighting cancer. We require them to produce evidence and expert testimony while they're undergoing chemotherapy, all of this while they're still trying to provide for their loved ones,” Wordekemper said.

Sen. Mike Jacobson opposed the change proposed in the bill, saying it would cause financial problems for municipalities, and therefore, taxpayers.

“You've basically opened up the flood gates that anyone gets cancer after five years on the job or 10 years of volunteer(ing) will file for this benefit, and the cost will go through the roof. Villages and cities will have to pay for it. And how do they pay for it? With property taxes,” Jacobson said.

Sen. Bob Hallstrom said the proposal would be the first time an entire occupation was exempted from the need to show an illness was work-related. He said business groups are concerned about the precedent that would set.

“They were worried about the proverbial camel's nose under the tent. Where do we go next, in terms of individuals or types of groups that might be subject more likely than not to contracting cancer in the workplace?” Hallstrom asked.

Debate on the measure is expected to continue Wednesday.

Also Tuesday, Sen. Eliot Bostar introduced legislation (LB1131) to provide nearly $6 million additional dollars to programs designed to deal with domestic violence and human trafficking.

Because of the state’s budget shortfall, he proposes to pay for the programs by repealing tax breaks currently provided for data centers. Bostar says domestic violence and trafficking programs would be a better use of state funds.

“I think that the industry, the data center industry, is healthy enough and perfectly capable of developing without these particular tax benefits and tax treatments, and that the use of these funds would be far more beneficial to Nebraskans if we were to dedicate them to the victims of trafficking and domestic violence,” Bostar said.

And, the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee held a hearing on confirming Maureen Larsen as director of economic development.

Larsen talked about one strategy for recruiting people to work in the state, by targeting people who have left the state, but could be persuaded to return for the second job in their career – people she called “boomerangs.”

“Generally, the best demographic that we have is people that are boomerangs. They come back, they start ready to start a family. They move back. And if you look at the most recent studies for our migration data, which was published just last month, it shows that the highest percentage of people moving into the state move back for the reason of family. It's those boomerangs that we are targeting,” Larsen said.

Sen. George Dungan asked Larsen about young people leaving the state over “culture war issues,” which he later said include moves like restricting medical treatments for transgender youth.

“Do you see the continued efforts that we've seen in the last three to four years, of focusing on what I would say are very divisive culture war issues, as antithetical to your concept of Nebraska being open for business?” Dungan asked.

Larsen declined to answer, saying by law, the department is created to be nonpolitical.

“The politics of it? Statutorily, we don't get involved in politics,” she said.