The legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee voted to advance a bill that would replenish a firefighters’ cancer relief fund by assessing a monthly five-cent fee on phone lines. Several Republicans likened the fee to a public benefits charge for telecommunications bills.
The fee would cost five cents per month and apply to each line provided by local telephone service, commercial mobile radio service, and voice over Internet protocol services. Telephone companies would be required to send the funds to the treasurer’s office each month. The treasurer would then deposit the funds in the firefighters cancer relief fund.
The fund, which was created in 2016, provides wage replacement benefits for firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer as a result of exposure to heat, radiation, or carcinogens in their line of work. Legislators initially funded the program by taking one cent per line from the enhanced emergency 9-1-1- program and directing it to firefighter cancer relief. However, the Federal Communications Commission found this was unconstitutional.
In 2023, the legislature passed a law that charged municipalities with funding compensation for firefighter cancer relief at the same levels the state requires for workers’ compensation, but municipalities have expressed concern that if use of the program increases, they will not be able to fund it.
During the finance committee hearing, Republicans expressed support for the program but objected to funding it through a tax.
“We have a very high cost of living for middle class families in this state, a very high tax burden, and funding items through the proper channels will make Connecticut more affordable for them, whereas making the wrong funding policy decisions will result in even higher taxes, even higher cost of living.” said Sen. Ryan Fazio, R-Greenwich.
Fazio also likened the proposed monthly fee to “public benefits for your phone or internt bill.” Fazio further stated that funding for the program should come from the General Fund, “like all other important budget items.” He proposed a verbal strike all amendment that would have appropriated $2 million for the fund in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
“I think this will be a positive funding development for our firefighters while also being positive for the affordability of our state.” Fazio said.
Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, said that while she “shared some concerns” about the fee being assessed, the fund would need additional money in the coming years and that the bill “makes a statement that we are committed to find a way to fund it.”
Rep. David Rutigliano,R-Trumbull, who sat on the Labor Committee when the original bill to create the program was passed, said that he supported the amendment because he thought legislators could “do better work” on the bill’s funding mechanism. He added that he might still support the underlying bill “with the commitment to just keep working on it.”
Rutigliano also said he thought the five cent fee was too high.
“If you do the math, they’re making about 250K off interest of what’s in there now. The fund will be self-sustaining. It would really only take a couple of pennies off just about anything we can think of to make this sustainable and last forever for these brave men and women.” Rutigliano said.
Horn closed debate on the amendment by saying there was no way to support firefighters without asking taxpayers to pay the fee.
“That’s the hard part of our job, that’s what this committee does.” Horn said. She added that she did not think it was responsible to pass the bill without having a specific funding mechanism.
Fazio’s amendment failed on a party line vote of 29 to 16.
The committee voted to advance the bill to the legislature, with several Republicans voting it forward.
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