Committee Passes Bill That Would Automatically Qualify First Responders for Mental Stress Claims

A policy committee in the Utah House of Representatives passed a bill that would automatically qualify first responders for mental stress benefits. House Bill 209, by Rep. Karen Kwan, D-Murray, would establish that legal and medical causation by employment is satisfied if the worker is a police officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or paramedic. The bill does not address whether an employer could rebut the proposed automatic qualification. The House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee voted 9-1 to pass the bill Feb. 6. The measure is now up for a third and final vote...