To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Program, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Program to compensate firefighters who develop health conditions linked to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) exposure from firefighting activities. It establishes a PFAS Trust Fund financed by two new excise taxes: a 10% tax on PFAS-containing products and a 10% tax on PFAS litigation awards.
Who Benefits and How
Firefighters with PFAS-related health conditions receive no-fault compensation: $250,000 base for cancer diagnoses and $50,000 for non-cancer conditions, multiplied by years of service (up to 4x for 10+ years). Families of deceased firefighters can also file claims. The program presumes causation from firefighting activities, eliminating the need to prove negligence.
Who Bears the Burden and How
PFAS product manufacturers, producers, and importers pay a 10% excise tax on all PFAS-containing products including firefighter gear. Companies that pay PFAS litigation settlements or judgments (excluding personal injury) pay a 10% excise tax on those awards. The Department of Health and Human Services must administer the program within 90 days.
Key Provisions
- Base compensation of $250,000 for cancer, $50,000 for non-cancer conditions, with service multipliers up to 4x
- PFAS-related conditions include kidney, testicle, liver, prostate, bladder, pancreas, breast, colon, and ovary cancers, plus thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis
- Claims must be filed within 2 years; appeals go to U.S. Court of Federal Claims with de novo review
- Attorneys' fees capped at federal tort claims act limits
- Excludes PAYGO scoring for budget purposes
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates a compensation program for firefighters suffering from PFAS-related health conditions, funded by new excise taxes on PFAS products and PFAS litigation awards
Key Policy Areas
Public Health, Worker Compensation, Taxation, Environmental Health
Primary Purpose
Creates a compensation program for firefighters suffering from PFAS-related health conditions, funded by new excise taxes on PFAS products and PFAS litigation awards
Policy Domains
PFAS Trust Fund and Excise Taxes
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- PFAS Trust Fund
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- PFAS product manufacturers
- PFAS product importers
- Companies paying PFAS litigation awards
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Program
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Firefighters with PFAS-related health conditions
- Families of deceased firefighters
- Volunteer firefighters
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Advisory panel members (new positions), Department of the Treasury, Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Program
Positive-direction: Advisory panel members (new positions), Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Program, PFAS Trust Fund
Negative-direction: Department of the Treasury, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Eligible claimants (firefighters and heirs), Firefighters eligible for compensation, Firefighters with PFAS-related health conditions
Companies paying PFAS litigation settlements, Firefighter gear manufacturers using PFAS, PFAS chemical manufacturers (3M, Chemours, DuPont)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_secretary_hhs"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_secretary_treasury"
- → Secretary of the Treasury
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Any product containing PFAS, including firefighter gear containing PFAS
A member of a civilian or military fire department or volunteer fire organization who is qualified to respond to and extinguish fires
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
An illness or health condition for which exposure to PFAS is likely to be a significant factor, including cancers of kidney, testicle, liver, prostate, bladder, pancreas, breast, colon, and ovary; thyroid diseases; ulcerative colitis; and others as determined by Secretary
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology