HB757 revises the funding structure for Maryland’s Professional and Volunteer Firefighter Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies Program. The bill increases the oil transfer license fee beginning July 1, 2025, from 5 cents per barrel to 9 cents per barrel, and directs the Department of the Environment to transfer 4 cents of that per-barrel fee to the firefighter cancer screening program beginning in fiscal year 2026. It also raises the Governor’s annual budget authority for the program from at least $500,000 to at least $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and beyond, while keeping the program subject to audit requirements.
The bill further requires the Secretary of Health to use the transferred fee revenue exclusively for the program and authorizes up to 20% of program funds to support academic medical research centers, including the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing, for data collection, analysis, and processing to evaluate and improve the screening program’s effectiveness and clinical utility. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and is scheduled to sunset on June 30, 2030.
In practical terms, HB757 amends both the Environment Article and the Health – General Article of the Maryland Code. It changes how oil transfer fee revenue is allocated, creates a dedicated funding stream for firefighter cancer screening, and limits how those funds may be spent. It also modifies the fee-abatement cap tied to the oil disaster fund, limiting abatements beginning in fiscal year 2026 to no more than 5 cents per barrel.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly supportive. Both chambers passed the bill unanimously on third reading, with 134-0 in the House and 46-0 in the Senate, and there is no recorded committee opposition in the provided materials. The unanimous votes suggest broad bipartisan agreement on supporting firefighter cancer screening and the funding mechanism used to sustain it.
There is little visible contention in the available record, but the main policy issue is the funding source and the reallocation of oil transfer fee revenue. Any concern would likely center on increasing the per-barrel fee, diverting a portion of revenue from the oil disaster fund to a separate health program, and setting the balance between direct program funding and research/administrative support. The bill’s supporters appear to have accepted those tradeoffs in order to provide a stable, dedicated revenue stream for firefighter cancer screening.
HB757 amends Maryland’s oil transfer licensing fee provisions and the statutory funding rules for the Professional and Volunteer Firefighter Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies Program. It increases the per-barrel oil transfer fee, directs a portion of that revenue to the program beginning in fiscal year 2026, and requires the Secretary of Health to use those funds only for the program, with up to 20% available for academic medical research support. It also increases the minimum annual budget amount the Governor may include for the program and adjusts the oil fund fee-abatement cap.
The bill’s reception was overwhelmingly positive. It passed both the House and Senate unanimously on third reading, and no committee testimony or recorded opposition is provided. The vote totals indicate broad bipartisan support for firefighter cancer screening and for dedicating a new funding stream to the program.
The main potential point of contention is fiscal: HB757 raises the oil transfer fee and redirects part of the revenue away from the Maryland Oil Disaster Containment, Clean-Up and Contingency Fund to support firefighter cancer screening. Critics could also question the use of up to 20% of program funds for research support rather than direct screening services. However, the available record shows no active opposition, suggesting these issues did not generate significant controversy during passage.