Compensation and Retirement Subcommittee

Monday, February 2, 2026·26m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Compensation and Retirement Subcommittee considered six bills addressing workers' compensation presumptions, retirement system eligibility, and state health plan re-enrollment, laying all six on the table or striking them while signaling intent to revisit several in future sessions.

Controversies

HB 130 – Whether to advance cancer presumption coverage to sheriffs and deputies this session

Mitchell Cornett argued the bill is a straightforward extension of existing law and invoked the case of a deputy who died of cancer after working meth lab dismantlements. The chair, unidentified by name, did not oppose the bill outright but indicated the committee wanted to do more policy work and ensure the coverage would not be 'a burden per se on the locality,' effectively declining to advance it this session.

+ 2 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“And since we do have a. Another meeting afterwards, if you keep. Please keep your. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. HB 1 130, amend 65.2, Code of Virginia. It's the workers compensation presumption for death or disability from respiratory disease, heart disease, hypertension, other certain cancers, or firefighters and other public safety”
Mitchell Cornett (patron, HB 130) — Cornett was explaining why sheriffs and deputy sheriffs should be added to the existing cancer presumption in Virginia's workers' compensation law, using a specific case from his district to illustrate the hazard exposure faced by deputies.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Motion to lay HB 130 on the tableNo Vote

Motion to strike HB 1306 from the docketNo Vote

Motion to adopt two line amendments to HB 1107Passed

Motion to lay HB 1107 on the tablePassed

Motion to lay HB 659 on the tablePassed

Motion by Rodney T. Willett to lay HB 1055 on the tablePassed

Motion to adopt amendment in the nature of a substitute for HB 1267Passed

Motion by Rodney T. Willett to lay HB 1267 on the tablePassed

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TranscriptPreview

This meeting of House Appropriations compensation retirement will come to order. We will first take roll. Madam Clerk, can you please open the roll? Thank you, Madam Clerk. Present. We have just a few bills in front of us today. And we will get started with Delegate Cornett. And since we do have a. Another meeting afterwards, if you keep. Please keep your. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. HB 1 130, amend 65.2, Code of Virginia. It's the workers compensation presumption for death or disability from respiratory disease, heart disease, hypertension, other certain cancers, or firefighters and other public safety officers. This bill simply adds sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to the cancer presumption within the code. And you know, this is pretty much just coming from my district in Smith County. We had a deputy there, Scott Prater, who served on a drug task force, the DEA task force, and. And he died of cancer. He dismantled many meth labs and they believe that work was tied to him, his cancer diagnosis and him actually passing away. So like I say, there's many other things that deputies in rural areas and all across Virginia do, help on fire scenes,…

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