124th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 621		LR 667(02)
	An Act Allowing Workers' Compensation Benefits for Firefighters Who Contract Cancer
	Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "   "
	Committee: Labor
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Local government costs - potential state mandate
State Mandates
	Required Activity				Unit Affected	Local Cost
	Shifting the burden of proof that a municipal firefighter or volunteer firefighter contracted certain types of cancer as a result of employment as a firefighter from the claimant to the employer and/or the employer's insurer may represent an indirect modification of a municipal activity.				Municipality	Significant statewide
	The indirect modification of local activities in this bill may represent a State mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine.  Unless General Fund appropriations are provided to fund at least 90% of the additional costs or a Mandate Preamble is amended to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt this mandate from the funding requirement, municipalities may not be required to implement these changes.
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This legislation will increase costs to local governments in the form of both higher premiums for workers' compensation insurance and increased legal costs. The impact to individual municipalites can not be determined at this time and will depend on actual experience.