This bill amends the definitions of cancer in two sections of Iowa law, specifically in the public safety peace officers retirement, accident, and disability system (PORS) and the municipal fire and police retirement system (411 system). The current definitions are replaced with a more generalized description of cancer as "a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body." This change aims to broaden the scope of cancer diagnoses recognized under these retirement systems, thereby expanding the eligibility for accidental disability and death benefits for members diagnosed with cancer.

Additionally, the bill specifies that the provisions of Code section 25B.2, subsection 3, which typically allows political subdivisions to be exempt from state mandates if funding is not provided, will not apply to this Act. This means that political subdivisions will be required to comply with any state mandates included in the bill, ensuring that the expanded benefits for cancer diagnoses are implemented without financial exemptions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 97A.1, 411.1