Lawmakers Extend Cancer, Respiratory Presumption to EMTs — if Locals Agree

The Virginia General Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that would extend a respiratory, heart disease and cancer presumption to emergency medical service workers, starting in July. The Senate voted 39-0 to agree with changes the House of Delegates made to Senate Bill 1275, by Sen. David Marsden, D-Burke. When the Senate first passed the bill in early February, the effective date for the proposed presumption was July 1. The House removed the date but later agreed to include it, along with an amendment removing a section that would have required emergency medical employees to work a m...