Bill Proposes Extending Disease Presumption to Portland Firefighters

Oregon lawmakers will again take up the question of whether the more than 600 firefighters in Portland should have access to the same presumption that certain diseases are occupational that’s been available to other firefighters since the 1960s. Oregon law exempts from the definition of workers who are covered by comp firefighters and police in a city with a population of more than 200,000 and that provides a disability and retirement system by ordinance or charter. Portland is the only city that meets those criteria. House Bill 2915, by Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Tigard, would declare that...