AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

Utah's first responder health system would see several changes under this bill. It would create a Firefighter Cancer Benefit Trust Fund, overseen by an 11-member board of trustees appointed by the governor, Senate president, and House speaker, to study cancer rates among firefighters and eventually provide financial support to firefighters diagnosed with job-related cancer; the fund and the existing cancer screening program would be financed through insurance premium tax revenue, while the formula used to fund firefighter long-term disability and retirement programs from that same tax revenue would also be revised, tying retirement fund contributions to reaching a 110% funding target rather than a fixed historical percentage. The bill would also extend mental health resource eligibility to first responders and their spouses for three years after leaving the job, unless the departure was due to misconduct or discipline, and would require the Department of Public Safety to annually report to a legislative committee and a public safety data portal on whether first responder agencies are meeting their legal obligation to provide mental health resources. A new restricted account would be created to fund mental health services for small first responder agencies (those with 10 or fewer employees, primarily volunteer staff, or located in small communities), which could choose to contribute $25 per employee annually to access the program, while the existing grant program for first responder agencies would be set to expire in 2027. Finally, the bill would revise eligibility rules for the Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Insurance Program, changing how volunteer participation is measured from a simple call-response count to broader participation in defined "emergency medical services operations" within an agency's assigned service area.