Bill > HB1060

This bill amends North Dakota law to extend the presumption of compensability (a legal assumption that certain health conditions are work-related) to correctional officers, placing them in a similar category as firefighters and law enforcement officers. Specifically, the bill adds correctional officers to existing provisions that create presumptive worker's compensation coverage for lung or respiratory diseases, heart conditions, bloodborne pathogen exposures, and certain cardiac events. To qualify, correctional officers must have completed five years of continuous service and passed an initial medical examination showing no pre-existing conditions. The bill defines a correctional officer as a full-time employee of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who has completed the basic correctional officer course and provides supervision and security at a correctional facility. The presumption of compensability has time limits, such as requiring that certain health conditions be diagnosed within two to five years of ending employment, depending on the length of service. The bill also requires periodic medical examinations and maintains provisions that could disqualify an officer if they use tobacco, with the requirement to provide annual documentation from a healthcare provider showing they have not used tobacco in the preceding two years.

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https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-overview/bo1060.html