HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4960

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, January 28, 2026.

 The committee on Financial Services, to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4012) of Bruce J. Ayers relative to access to neurological disorder screenings for firefighters, reports recommending that the accompanying bill (House, No. 4960) ought to pass.

For the committee,

JAMES M. MURPHY.

        FILED ON: 12/16/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4960

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act relative to ensuring access to neurological disorder screenings for firefighters.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

 SECTION 1. Chapter 48 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

 Section 91. (a)(1) A firefighter employed as a full-time paid employee of a fire department of a city, town, fire or water district or the commonwealth, shall be provided a neurological disorder screening examination conducted by a physician not less than 3 years after the start of their employment as a firefighter and every 3 years thereafter during the course of their employment.

 (2) This section shall also apply to members of the: (i) Massachusetts military reservation fire department; (ii) 104th fighter wing fire department; and (iii) Devens fire department established pursuant to chapter 498 of the acts of 1993.

 (3) For the purposes of this section, the following shall be fire districts, the: (i) Massachusetts Port Authority; (ii) Massachusetts Military Reservation; (iii) Barnes Air National Guard Base; and (iv) Devens Regional Enterprise Zone established pursuant to chapter 498 of the acts of 1993.

 (b) The examination shall include screenings for, at a minimum and when applicable, the following neurological disorders: (i) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as ALS; (ii) Alzheimer’s disease; (iii) brain tumor; (iv) cerebral palsy; (v) dementia; (vi) epilepsy; (vii) Parkinson’s disease; (viii) multiple sclerosis; and (ix) stroke.

 (c) All costs associated with screenings pursuant to chapters 32A, 175, 176A, 176B, 176G and 176I provided under this section shall be borne by the firefighter’s health care benefits plan or program provided by the firefighter’s employer. No co-payment, deductible, coinsurance or any out-of-pocket expense shall be required for such examinations, provided, however, that cost sharing shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on such for these services.