HB909: HB909 Firefighter Health and Environmental Safety Act; enact

Firefighters are regularly exposed to PFAS, a class of persistent chemicals found in firefighting foam and protective gear, which has been linked to cancer and other health problems. This bill responds by amending Georgia's conservation, fire safety, and insurance laws to reduce that exposure and expand health monitoring and coverage. The bill has the Department of Natural Resources monitor PFAS levels at fire departments and training sites, phases out PFAS-containing firefighting foam and equipment by 2030, and requires manufacturers to label PFAS-containing gear starting in 2030. It creates a 12-member Firefighter Health Advisory Council to run a 'Firefighter PFAS Initiative' tracking health data and recommending policy changes. Fire departments must provide insurance covering PFAS blood testing starting July 1, 2026, and both individual and group health insurers must cover that testing at set intervals. Violations of the equipment and disposal rules carry civil penalties up to $10,000 per day.

• Directs the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources to monitor PFAS contamination at fire departments and training sites starting January 1, 2027.
• Bans discharging or using firefighting equipment containing PFAS as an intentionally added chemical statewide starting July 1, 2030.
• Requires manufacturers to label newly made firefighting equipment containing PFAS starting July 1, 2030, with a 'Made with PFAS Chemicals' disclosure.
• Creates the Firefighter Health Advisory Council, a 12-member body that runs the Firefighter PFAS Initiative to track PFAS exposure data and firefighter health trends and report annually to the Governor and General Assembly.
• Requires fire departments to carry insurance covering PFAS blood testing for firefighters with 12 months of service starting July 1, 2026, and requires individual and group health insurers to cover that testing at set intervals.
• Sets civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day for illegal use of PFAS firefighting equipment and $100 per item for unlabeled PFAS equipment sold in violation of the labeling rule.

Georgia firefighters and fire departments, the Department of Natural Resources and its Environmental Protection Division, manufacturers of firefighting foam and protective gear, clinical laboratories that perform PFAS blood testing, and health insurers that write individual or group accident and sickness policies covering firefighters.

Firefighters would gain new insurance coverage for PFAS blood testing and a dedicated state council tracking their health risks, while fire departments and equipment manufacturers would face new monitoring, labeling, and eventual bans on PFAS-containing gear, with financial penalties for noncompliance.

• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 12-2-12, requiring PFAS monitoring at 'covered sites' (fire departments and training sites) starting January 1, 2027, with quarterly reports to the new council.
• Section 4 revises O.C.G.A. § 25-2-41, banning PFAS-containing firefighting equipment use after July 1, 2030 and requiring PFAS labeling on newly manufactured equipment sold in Georgia after that date.
• Section 4 sets civil penalties: up to $10,000 per day for illegal PFAS equipment use, $100 per item for missing labels, and up to $10,000 per violation for improper disposal.
• Section 5 adds O.C.G.A. § 25-2-42 creating the 12-member Firefighter Health Advisory Council, appointed by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House, to run the Firefighter PFAS Initiative.
• Section 5 adds O.C.G.A. § 25-2-43 requiring laboratories to report PFAS blood testing data to the council biannually, on a voluntary and confidential basis for individual firefighters.
• Section 6 revises O.C.G.A. § 25-3-23 to require fire departments to insure firefighters for PFAS blood testing claims starting July 1, 2026, after 12 consecutive months of service.
• Sections 9 and 10 add O.C.G.A. §§ 33-29-3.5 and 33-30-4.6, requiring individual and group health insurers to cover PFAS blood testing for firefighters at set intervals based on years of service.

1. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-02House Hopper (House)

• Karla Drenner (D, HD-085)Primary sponsor
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Marvin Lim (D, HD-098)

• firefighter health
• PFAS chemicals
• environmental regulation
• insurance coverage
• public safety