Bill Text: NJ A5028 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns lung cancer screening awareness and access.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A5028 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5028-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN V. AZZARITI JR., M.D.
District 39 (Bergen)
Assemblyman JOHN DIMAIO
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Concerns lung cancer screening awareness and access.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning lung cancer screening awareness and access for first responders and veterans and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in the State, exceeding mortality from breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined.
b. Low-dose computed tomography screening has been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality in high-risk populations by approximately 20 percent when performed in accordance with evidence-based guidelines.
c. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual low-dose computed tomography screening for adults aged 50 through 80 years with a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
d. Federal law requires most health plans to provide coverage for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended preventive services without cost-sharing; however, significant barriers remain, including lack of awareness, limited provider referral, and gaps affecting uninsured individuals.
e. Firefighters face elevated exposure to smoke, combustion byproducts, diesel exhaust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, asbestos, and other known or suspected carcinogens over the course of their service.
f. Law enforcement officers and emergency medical services personnel are routinely exposed to traffic-related airborne particulate matter, benzene, hazardous materials, combustion environments, and shift work-related circadian disruption, all of which have been studied in relation to cancer risk.
g. Long-term cohort studies of World Trade Center responders have demonstrated that responders with higher levels of toxic dust exposure experienced nearly a three-fold increase in lung cancer incidence compared to minimally exposed responders, even after adjustment for smoking and demographic factors.
h. Nearly 50,000 first responders and survivors of the September 11, 2001 attacks have been diagnosed with cancers associated with environmental exposure, underscoring the long-term occupational health risks faced by public safety personnel.
i. Epidemiological findings regarding lung cancer incidence in certain law enforcement populations have been mixed; however, documented occupational carcinogen exposures and evolving environmental risk patterns warrant proactive education and screening awareness initiatives.
j. Veterans, including those exposed to burn pits and other environmental hazards, face elevated risks of respiratory disease and malignancy. Federal law, under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act recognizes multiple exposure-related conditions, including respiratory cancers.
k. The New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program currently provides screening for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancers but does not provide dedicated lung cancer screening outreach to high-risk occupational or veteran populations.
l. The absence of a coordinated, Statewide education, outreach, and referral strategy for lung cancer screening among first responders and veterans constitutes a gap in the State's cancer control efforts.
m. It is therefore in the public interest to establish a coordinated program to ensure first responders and veterans are aware of screening eligibility and are able to access low-dose computed tomography screening services through existing public and private coverage pathways.
2. As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health.
"Department" means the Department of Health.
"First responder" means a paid or volunteer firefighter, law enforcement officer, emergency medical services personnel, or other emergency response professional designated by the department as having occupational exposure to carcinogens associated with increased lung cancer risk.
"Low-dose computed tomography" or "LDCT" is a lung cancer screening that is consistent with current United States Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.
"Screening-eligible" means meeting the United States Preventive Services Task Force eligibility criteria for lung cancer screening.
"Veteran" means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service of the United States and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable, as defined by federal law.
3. a. There is established in the Department of Health the New Jersey First Responder and Veteran Lung Cancer Screening Awareness and Referral Program. The program shall be responsible for coordinating education, outreach, and referral efforts to increase awareness of and access to lung cancer screening among first responders and veterans. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Attorney General, shall administer the program.
b. The program shall:
(1) develop and distribute evidence-based educational materials regarding lung cancer risk factors, eligibility for LDCT screening, the benefits of early detection, and available screening services; and
(2) distribute the materials developed pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection to:
(a) fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and emergency medical services units throughout the State;
(b) veteran service organizations, including but not limited to posts of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars;
(c) the Division of Pensions and Benefits for inclusion in retiree communications; and
(d) federally qualified health centers, hospital systems, primary care providers, and other health care entities serving high-risk populations.
c. The department shall maintain and publish on its Internet website a publicly accessible directory, organized by county, of health care facilities in the State that provide LDCT screening.
d. The department shall establish voluntary referral protocols to allow:
(1) licensed health care providers to refer individuals who may be eligible for lung cancer screening;
(2) first responder agencies and veteran organizations to provide referral information to their members; and
(3) screening-eligible individuals to self-refer, consistent with clinical best practices.
e. The department shall coordinate with the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program to explore the integration of lung cancer screening navigation assistance for uninsured or underinsured eligible individuals, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of resources.
f. The program shall not mandate additional insurance benefits beyond those required under federal or State law, but shall focus on education, navigation, and the utilization of existing coverage pathways.
g. The department shall collect and analyze data related to program implementation and outcomes, which may include:
(1) the number of first responders and veterans receiving LDCT screening through referral pathways associated with the program;
(2) aggregate demographic data, including age, race, ethnicity, county of residence, and insurance status, to the extent permitted by law;
(3) stage at diagnosis for screen-detected lung cancers, where available; and
(4) identified barriers to screening participation.
h. No personally identifiable health information shall be publicly disclosed.
4. The department shall submit an annual report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), summarizing implementation efforts, screening participation trends, and recommendations for improving access.
5. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Adjutant General and the Attorney General, shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the New Jersey First Responder and Veteran Lung Cancer Screening Awareness and Referral Program in the Department of Health to increase awareness of and access to lung cancer screening among first responders and veterans, who may face elevated risks of lung cancer due to occupational or service-related exposures.
Under the bill, the Commissioner of Health is to administer the program in consultation with the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Attorney General. The program is to coordinate education, outreach, and referral efforts to promote awareness of lung cancer risk factors, eligibility for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, the benefits of early detection, and available screening services.
The bill requires the Department of Health (department) to develop and distribute evidence-based educational materials regarding lung cancer screening. These materials are to be provided to fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and emergency medical services units throughout the State; veteran service organizations, including posts of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Division of Pensions and Benefits for inclusion in retiree communications; and federally qualified health centers, hospital systems, primary care providers, and other health care entities serving high-risk populations.
The bill also requires the department to maintain and publish on its Internet website a publicly accessible directory, organized by county, of health care facilities in the State that provide LDCT lung cancer screening. In addition, the department is to establish voluntary referral protocols to allow licensed health care providers, first responder agencies, and veteran organizations to refer individuals who may be eligible for lung cancer screening, and to allow screening-eligible individuals to self-refer, consistent with clinical best practices.
The bill further directs the department to coordinate with the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection Program to explore opportunities to integrate lung cancer screening navigation assistance for uninsured or underinsured eligible individuals, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of resources. The program is not to mandate additional insurance benefits beyond those required under federal or State law, but is instead intended to focus on education, navigation, and increasing utilization of existing screening services.
Finally, the bill requires the department to collect and analyze data related to program implementation and outcomes, including the number of first responders and veterans receiving LDCT screening through referral pathways associated with the program, demographic information to the extent permitted by law, stage at diagnosis for screen-detected lung cancers where available, and barriers to screening participation. The bill provides that no personally identifiable health information is to be publicly disclosed.
