The Montana House of Representatives passed the Firefighter Health and Safety Bill on Monday, a measure that would provide coverage to firefighters in the state who develop job-related illnesses.
The bill was approved by a vote of 89 to nine, KRTV-TV reports. Firefighters have been backing the measure for nearly 20 years, and Monday's passage after a third reading in the House is the furthest the bill has gotten in the Montana Legislature.
“It is about time," Dave Van Son, president of the Great Falls firefighters union, told KRTV.
The measure now returns to the Senate for a vote. If passed, the bill would only need Gov. Steve Bullock's signature before becoming state law.
