Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0347*
HOUSE BILL 347
K1 6lr1955
CF SB 90
By: Delegate Pruski Delegates Pruski, Fennell, Rogers, and Turner
Introduced and read first time: January 19, 2026
Assigned to: Economic Matters
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 6, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Workers’ Compensation – Occupational Disease Presumptions – Hypertension 2
FOR the purpose of establishing that certain firefighters, firefighting instructors, rescue 3
squad members, advanced life support unit members, and members of the Office of 4
the State Fire Marshal suffering from hypertension are presumed to have an 5
occupational disease that is compensable under workers’ compensation law and are 6
presumed to be disabled if certain requirements are met; and generally relating to 7
occupational disease presumptions under workers’ compensation law. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Labor and Employment 10
Section 9–502 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2025 Replacement Volume) 13
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Article – Labor and Employment 15
Section 9–503(a) 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2025 Replacement Volume) 18
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
Article – Labor and Employment 21
2 HOUSE BILL 347
9–502. 1
(a) In this section, “disablement” means the event of a covered employee becoming 2
partially or totally incapacitated: 3
(1) because of an occupational disease; and 4
(2) from performing the work of the covered employee in the last occupation 5
in which the covered employee was injuriously exposed to the hazards of the occupational 6
disease. 7
(b) Subsection (c) of this section applies only to: 8
(1) the employer in whose employment the covered employee was last 9
injuriously exposed to the hazards of the occupational disease; and 10
(2) the insurer liable for the risk when the covered employee, while 11
employed by the employer, was last injuriously exposed to the hazards of the occupational 12
disease. 13
(c) Subject to subsection (d) of this section and except as otherwise provided, an 14
employer and insurer to whom this subsection applies shall provide compensati on in 15
accordance with this title to: 16
(1) a covered employee of the employer for disability of the covered 17
employee resulting from an occupational disease; or 18
(2) the dependents of the covered employee for death of the covered 19
employee resulting from an occupational disease. 20
(d) An employer and insurer are liable to provide compensation under subsection 21
(c) of this section only if: 22
(1) the occupational disease that caused the death or disability: 23
(i) is due to the nature of an employment in which hazards of the 24
occupational disease exist and the covered employee was employed before the date of 25
disablement; or 26
(ii) has manifestations that are consistent with those known to 27
result from exposure to a biological, chemical, or physical agent t hat is attributable to the 28
type of employment in which the covered employee was employed before the date of 29
disablement; and 30
(2) on the weight of the evidence, it reasonably may be concluded that the 31
occupational disease was incurred as a result of the employment of the covered employee. 32
HOUSE BILL 347 3
(e) A covered employee or a dependent of the covered employee is not entitled to 1
compensation for a disability or death that results from an occupational disease if, when 2
the covered employee began employment with the employer, the covered employee falsely 3
represented in writing that the covered employee had not been disabled, laid off, or 4
compensated in damages or otherwise, due to the occupational disease for which the 5
covered employee or dependent is seeking compensation. 6
9–503. 7
(a) (1) A paid firefighter, paid firefighting instructor, paid rescue squad 8
member, paid advanced life support unit member, or sworn member of the Office of the 9
State Fire Marshal employed by an airport authority, a county, a fire control d istrict, a 10
municipality, or the State or a volunteer firefighter, volunteer fire fighting instructor, 11
volunteer rescue squad member, or volunteer advanced life support unit member who is a 12
covered employee under § 9 –234 of this title is presumed to have an occupational disease 13
that was suffered in the line of duty and is compensable under this title if: 14
[(1)] (I) the individual has heart disease, hypertension, or lung disease; 15
[(2)] (II) the heart disease, hypertension, or lung disease results in partial 16
or total disability or death; and 17
[(3)] (III) in the case of a volunteer firefighter, volunteer fire fighting 18
instructor, volunteer rescue squad member, or volunteer advanced life support unit 19
member, the individual has met a suitable standard o f physical examination before 20
becoming a firefighter, firefighting instructor, rescue squad member, or advanced life 21
support unit member. 22
(2) (I) A PAID FIREFIGHTER , PAID FIREFIGHTING IN STRUCTOR, 23
PAID RESCUE SQUAD ME MBER, PAID ADVANCED LIFE S UPPORT UNIT MEMBER, OR 24
SWORN MEMBER OF THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL EMPLOYED BY AN 25
AIRPORT AUTHORITY, A COUNTY, A FIRE CONTROL DISTR ICT, A MUNICIPALITY, OR 26
THE STATE IS PRESUMED TO HAVE AN OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE THAT WAS 27
SUFFERED IN THE LINE OF DUTY AND IS COMP ENSABLE UNDER THIS TITLE AND IS 28
PRESUMED TO BE DISABLED UNDER § 9–502 OF THIS SUBTITLE IF THE INDIVIDUAL: 29
1. HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED W ITH HYPERTENSION BY AN 30
AUTHORIZED PROVIDER AS DEFINED IN REGULA TIONS ADOPTED BY THE 31
COMMISSION; 32
2. HAS BEEN PRESCRIBE D MEDICATION TO TREA T 33
HYPERTENSION FOR AT LEAST 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS; 34
4 HOUSE BILL 347
3. HAS COMPLETED AT LEAST 2 YEARS OF CUMULATIVE 1
SERVICE WITHIN THE STATE AS A PAID FIREF IGHTER, PAID FIREFIGHTING 2
INSTRUCTOR, PAID RESCUE SQUAD MEMBER, PAID ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT UNIT 3
MEMBER, OR SWORN MEMBER OF T HE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL 4
EMPLOYED BY AN AIRPO RT AUTHORITY, A COUNTY, A FIRE CONTROL DISTR ICT, A 5
MUNICIPALITY, OR THE STATE; AND 6
4. AT THE TIME OF CLAIM APPLICATION, IS EMPLOYED 7
AS A PAID FIREFIGHTE R, PAID FIREFIGHTING INSTRUCTOR, PAID RESCUE SQUAD 8
MEMBER, PAID ADVANCED LIFE S UPPORT UNIT MEMBER , OR SWORN MEMBER OF 9
THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL EMPLOYED BY AN AIRPORT AUTHORITY, 10
A COUNTY, A FIRE CONTROL DISTRICT, A MUNICIPALITY, OR THE STATE. 11
(II) AN EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE P ROVIDED FOR UNDER A 12
COLLECTIVE BARGAININ G AGREEMENT , AN INDIVIDUAL WHO QUALI FIES FOR 13
COMPENSATION UNDER T HIS PARAGRAPH MAY NO T BE ELIGIBLE TO REC EIVE 14
DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS ON THE BASIS OF THE SAME CONDITION. 15
(III) AN INDIV IDUAL WHO HAS HEART DISEASE OR LUNG 16
DISEASE UNDER PARAGR APH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION M UST FILE A SEPARATE 17
CLAIM APPLICATION FOR WORKERS’ COMPENSATION. 18
(IV) THIS PARAGRAPH DOES N OT PROHIBIT AN INDIV IDUAL 19
FROM FILING A SEPARATE CLAIM UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 20
(V) AN INDIVIDUAL WHO FIL ES A CLAIM UNDER THI S 21
PARAGRAPH AND UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION M AY NOT RECEIVE 22
DUPLICATIVE BENEFITS FOR THE SAME CONDITION. 23
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 24
October 1, 2026. 25
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.