Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
With over 150 firefighters looking down on the chamber from the gallery above, lawmakers in the Michigan Senate say they’ve reached a deal to add $1 million to a fund to cover the cost of cancer treatments for first responders in the state.
The firefighters held a rally earlier in the morning outside of the Capitol and chanted from the gallery, “fund our bill,” as lawmakers met in private to discuss the legislation.
State Senator Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, says the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund was created last year but no money was ever put in it.
He introduced a bill to add $3 million to the fund.
He says $1 million is a good start but questions if it will be enough.
The Senate will hold a hearing next week on the bill to add $1 million to the fund.
The chamber also plans to add more money to the fund in the next budget cycle.
