It was an honor to stand with Senator Amy Klobuchar this morning as she introduced the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act. The registry would improve collection capabilities and activities related to nationwide monitoring among all firefighters to determine if there is a link, and to develop better protective gear and prevention techniques.

Researchers are finding that more than two-thirds of firefighters (68%) develop cancer, compared to about 22% for the general population. This bill is extremely important for the 21,000+ firefighters in Minnesota and across the entire country. We need to take of our own!