HB347 expands Maryland’s workers’ compensation occupational disease presumptions for certain public safety employees by adding hypertension to the list of conditions presumed to be work-related. Under the bill, a paid firefighter, paid firefighting instructor, paid rescue squad member, paid advanced life support unit member, or sworn member of the Office of the State Fire Marshal employed by specified public employers is presumed to have a compensable occupational disease, and presumed disabled, if the person is diagnosed with hypertension by an authorized provider, has been prescribed medication for at least 90 consecutive days, has at least two years of cumulative state service in one of the covered roles, and is employed in one of those roles at the time of claim application.
The bill also preserves and cross-references existing workers’ compensation rules for occupational disease claims under § 9-502, including general causation and disablement standards, and it clarifies that an individual who qualifies for compensation under the new hypertension presumption may not receive disability retirement benefits on the same condition unless a collective bargaining agreement provides otherwise. It further states that claims for heart disease or lung disease must be filed separately, while also allowing separate claims under the different presumptions without duplicative benefits for the same condition. The act takes effect October 1, 2026.
Impact
HB347 amends Labor and Employment Article § 9-503 to create a new statutory presumption that hypertension in covered firefighters and related emergency personnel is an occupational disease suffered in the line of duty and compensable under Maryland workers’ compensation law. This shifts the evidentiary burden in qualifying cases, making it easier for covered employees to obtain benefits for hypertension-related disability claims. The bill affects public employers such as counties, municipalities, airport authorities, fire control districts, and the State, as well as their insurers and workers’ compensation administrators.
Sentiment
The voting history suggests broad bipartisan support for the measure. The House passed the bill 124-2, and the Senate passed it unanimously 46-0, indicating strong legislative agreement on extending presumptive workers’ compensation coverage for first responders with hypertension. No committee transcript was provided, so the available record shows little overt opposition in the formal votes.
Contention
The main policy issue is the expansion of a presumption that can increase workers’ compensation liability for public employers and insurers by making hypertension claims easier to prove. Another point of potential contention is the interaction with disability retirement systems, since the bill generally bars receiving disability retirement benefits for the same condition unless a collective bargaining agreement says otherwise. The bill also distinguishes between the new hypertension presumption and existing presumptions for heart disease and lung disease, requiring separate claims for those conditions while preventing duplicate recovery for the same condition.