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.
*sb0090*
SENATE BILL 90
K1 6lr0954
(PRE–FILED) CF HB 347
By: Senator Beidle Senators Beidle, Gile, Hayes, Hershey, Jackson, Kramer, Lam,
Mautz, Ready, and A. Washington
Requested: September 24, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Finance
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 1, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Workers’ Compensation – Occupational Disease Presumptions – Hypertension 2
FOR the purpose of establishing that certain firefighters, fire fighting instructors, rescue 3
squad members, advanced life support unit members, and members of the Office of 4
the St ate 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
2 SENATE BILL 90
Article – Labor and Employment 1
9–502. 2
(a) In this section, “disablement” means the event of a covered employee becoming 3
partially or totally incapacitated: 4
(1) because of an occupational disease; and 5
(2) from performing the work of the covered employee in the last occupation 6
in which the covered employee was injuriously exposed to the hazards of the occupational 7
disease. 8
(b) Subsection (c) of this section applies only to: 9
(1) the employer in whose employment the covered employee was last 10
injuriously exposed to the hazards of the occupational disease; and 11
(2) the insurer liable for the risk when the covered employee, while 12
employed by the employer, was last injuriously exposed to the hazards of the occupational 13
disease. 14
(c) Subject to subsection (d) of this section and except as otherwise pro vided, an 15
employer and insurer to whom this subsection applies shall provide compensation in 16
accordance with this title to: 17
(1) a covered employee of the employer for disability of the covered 18
employee resulting from an occupational disease; or 19
(2) the dependents of the covered employee for death of the covered 20
employee resulting from an occupational disease. 21
(d) An employer and insurer are liable to provide compensation under subsection 22
(c) of this section only if: 23
(1) the occupational disease that caused the death or disability: 24
(i) is due to the nature of an employment in which hazards of the 25
occupational disease exist and the covered employee was employed before the date of 26
disablement; or 27
(ii) has manifestations that are consistent w ith those known to 28
result from exposure to a biological, chemical, or physical agent that is attributable to the 29
type of employment in which the covered employee was employed before the date of 30
disablement; and 31
SENATE BILL 90 3
(2) on the weight of the evidence, it reas onably may be concluded that the 1
occupational disease was incurred as a result of the employment of the covered employee. 2
(e) A covered employee or a dependent of the covered employee is not entitled to 3
compensation for a disability or death that results from an occupational disease if, when 4
the covered employee began employment with the employer, the covered employee falsely 5
represented in writing that the covered employee had not been disabled, laid off, or 6
compensated in damages or otherwise, due to th e occupational disease for which the 7
covered employee or dependent is seeking compensation. 8
9–503. 9
(a) (1) A paid firefighter, paid fire fighting instructor, paid rescue squad 10
member, paid advanced life support unit member, or sworn member of the Office of the 11
State Fire Marshal employed by an airport authority, a county, a fire control district, a 12
municipality, or the State or a volunteer firefighter, volunteer fire fighting instructor, 13
volunteer rescue squad member, or volunteer advanced life support u nit member who is a 14
covered employee under § 9 –234 of this title is presumed to have an occupational disease 15
that was suffered in the line of duty and is compensable under this title if: 16
[(1)] (I) the individual has heart disease, hypertension, or lung disease; 17
[(2)] (II) the heart disease, hypertension, or lung disease results in partial 18
or total disability or death; and 19
[(3)] (III) in the case of a volunteer firefighter, volunteer fire fighting 20
instructor, volunteer rescue squad member, or volunt eer advanced life support unit 21
member, the individual has met a suitable standard of physical examination before 22
becoming a firefighter, fire fighting instructor, rescue squad member, or advanced life 23
support unit member. 24
(2) (I) A PAID FIREFIGHTER , PAID FIRE FIGHTING INST RUCTOR, 25
PAID RESCUE SQUAD ME MBER, PAID ADVANCED LIFE S UPPORT UNIT MEMBER, OR 26
SWORN MEMBER OF THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL EMPLOYED BY AN 27
AIRPORT AUTHORITY, A COUNTY, A FIRE CONTROL DISTR ICT, A MUNICIPALITY, OR 28
THE STATE IS PRESU MED TO HAVE AN OCCUP ATIONAL DISEASE THAT WAS 29
SUFFERED IN THE LINE OF DUTY AND IS COMPE NSABLE UNDER THIS TITLE AND IS 30
PRESUMED TO BE DISABLED UNDER § 9–502 OF THIS SUBTITLE IF THE INDIVIDUAL: 31
1. HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED W ITH HYPERTENSION BY AN 32
AUTHORIZED PRO VIDER AS DEFINED IN REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE 33
COMMISSION; 34
2. HAS BEEN PRESCRIBED MEDICATION TO TREAT 35
HYPERTENSION FOR AT LEAST 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS; 36
4 SENATE BILL 90
3. HAS COMPLETED AT LEAST 2 YEARS OF CUMULATIVE 1
SERVICE WITHIN THE STATE AS A PAID FIREF IGHTER, PAID FIRE FIGHTING 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 FIRE FIGHTING I NSTRUCTOR, 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 INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS HEART DISEASE OR LUN G 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 NOT P ROHIBIT AN INDIVIDUA L 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.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.