100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB4600

 

Introduced , by Rep. Kathleen Willis

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-4  from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-4

    Amends the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners Division of the Illinois Municipal Code. In provisions concerning appointments, defines "firefighter" to include a paramedic, an EMT, an emergency medical technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or an advanced emergency medical technician (A-EMT). Effective immediately.


LRB100 18075 AWJ 33267 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4600LRB100 18075 AWJ 33267 b

1    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by
5changing Section 10-2.1-4 as follows:
 
6    (65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-4)  (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-4)
7    Sec. 10-2.1-4. Fire and police departments; appointment of
8members; certificates of appointments. The board of fire and
9police commissioners shall appoint all officers and members of
10the fire and police departments of the municipality, including
11the chief of police and the chief of the fire department,
12unless the council or board of trustees shall by ordinance as
13to them otherwise provide; except as otherwise provided in this
14Section, and except that in any municipality which adopts or
15has adopted this Division 2.1 and also adopts or has adopted
16Article 5 of this Code, the chief of police and the chief of
17the fire department shall be appointed by the municipal
18manager, if it is provided by ordinance in such municipality
19that such chiefs, or either of them, shall not be appointed by
20the board of fire and police commissioners.
21    If the chief of the fire department or the chief of the
22police department or both of them are appointed in the manner
23provided by ordinance, they may be removed or discharged by the

 

 

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1appointing authority. In such case the appointing authority
2shall file with the corporate authorities the reasons for such
3removal or discharge, which removal or discharge shall not
4become effective unless confirmed by a majority vote of the
5corporate authorities.
6    After August 25, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act
7100-425) this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly, a
8person shall not be appointed as the chief, the acting chief,
9the department head, or a position, by whatever title, that is
10responsible for day-to-day operations of a fire department for
11greater than 180 days unless he or she possesses the following
12qualifications and certifications:
13        (1) Office of the State Fire Marshal Firefighter Basic
14    Certification or Firefighter II Certification; Office of
15    the State Fire Marshal Fire Officer I and II
16    Certifications; and an associate degree in fire science or
17    a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or
18    college; or
19        (2) a minimum of 10 years' experience as a firefighter
20    at the fire department in the jurisdiction making the
21    appointment.
22This paragraph applies to fire departments that employ
23firefighters hired under the provisions of this Division.
24    If a member of the department is appointed chief of police
25or chief of the fire department prior to being eligible to
26retire on pension, he shall be considered as on furlough from

 

 

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1the rank he held immediately prior to his appointment as chief.
2If he resigns as chief or is discharged as chief prior to
3attaining eligibility to retire on pension, he shall revert to
4and be established in whatever rank he currently holds, except
5for previously appointed positions, and thereafter be entitled
6to all the benefits and emoluments of that rank, without regard
7as to whether a vacancy then exists in that rank.
8    All appointments to each department other than that of the
9lowest rank, however, shall be from the rank next below that to
10which the appointment is made except as otherwise provided in
11this Section, and except that the chief of police and the chief
12of the fire department may be appointed from among members of
13the police and fire departments, respectively, regardless of
14rank, unless the council or board of trustees shall have by
15ordinance as to them otherwise provided. A chief of police or
16the chief of the fire department, having been appointed from
17among members of the police or fire department, respectively,
18shall be permitted, regardless of rank, to take promotional
19exams and be promoted to a higher classified rank than he
20currently holds, without having to resign as chief of police or
21chief of the fire department.
22    The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment
23shall be vested in the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners
24and all certificates of appointments issued to any officer or
25member of the fire or police department of a municipality shall
26be signed by the chairman and secretary respectively of the

 

 

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1board of fire and police commissioners of such municipality,
2upon appointment of such officer or member of the fire and
3police department of such municipality by action of the board
4of fire and police commissioners. After being selected from the
5register of eligibles to fill a vacancy in the affected
6department, each appointee shall be presented with his or her
7certificate of appointment on the day on which he or she is
8sworn in as a classified member of the affected department.
9Firefighters who were not issued a certificate of appointment
10when originally appointed shall be provided with a certificate
11within 10 days after making a written request to the
12chairperson of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners. In
13any municipal fire department that employs full-time
14firefighters and is subject to a collective bargaining
15agreement, a person who has not qualified for regular
16appointment under the provisions of this Division 2.1 shall not
17be used as a temporary or permanent substitute for classified
18members of a municipality's fire department or for regular
19appointment as a classified member of a municipality's fire
20department unless mutually agreed to by the employee's
21certified bargaining agent. Such agreement shall be considered
22a permissive subject of bargaining. Municipal fire departments
23covered by the changes made by Public Act 95-490 this
24amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly that are using
25non-certificated employees as substitutes immediately prior to
26June 1, 2008 (the effective date of Public Act 95-490) this

 

 

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1amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly may, by mutual
2agreement with the certified bargaining agent, continue the
3existing practice or a modified practice and that agreement
4shall be considered a permissive subject of bargaining. A home
5rule unit may not regulate the hiring of temporary or
6substitute members of the municipality's fire department in a
7manner that is inconsistent with this Section. This Section is
8a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII
9of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home
10rule units of powers and functions exercised by the State.
11    The term "policemen" as used in this Division does not
12include auxiliary police officers except as provided for in
13Section 10-2.1-6.
14    Any full-time full time member of a regular fire or police
15department of any municipality which comes under the provisions
16of this Division or adopts this Division 2.1 or which has
17adopted any of the prior Acts pertaining to fire and police
18commissioners, is a city officer.
19    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, the
20Chief of Police of a department in a non-home rule municipality
21of more than 130,000 inhabitants may, without the advice or
22consent of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, appoint
23up to 6 officers who shall be known as deputy chiefs or
24assistant deputy chiefs, and whose rank shall be immediately
25below that of Chief. The deputy or assistant deputy chiefs may
26be appointed from any rank of sworn officers of that

 

 

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1municipality, but no person who is not such a sworn officer may
2be so appointed. Such deputy chief or assistant deputy chief
3shall have the authority to direct and issue orders to all
4employees of the Department holding the rank of captain or any
5lower rank. A deputy chief of police or assistant deputy chief
6of police, having been appointed from any rank of sworn
7officers of that municipality, shall be permitted, regardless
8of rank, to take promotional exams and be promoted to a higher
9classified rank than he currently holds, without having to
10resign as deputy chief of police or assistant deputy chief of
11police.
12    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, a
13non-home rule municipality of 130,000 or fewer inhabitants,
14through its council or board of trustees, may, by ordinance,
15provide for a position of deputy chief to be appointed by the
16chief of the police department. The ordinance shall provide for
17no more than one deputy chief position if the police department
18has fewer than 25 full-time police officers and for no more
19than 2 deputy chief positions if the police department has 25
20or more full-time police officers. The deputy chief position
21shall be an exempt rank immediately below that of Chief. The
22deputy chief may be appointed from any rank of sworn, full-time
23officers of the municipality's police department, but must have
24at least 5 years of full-time service as a police officer in
25that department. A deputy chief shall serve at the discretion
26of the Chief and, if removed from the position, shall revert to

 

 

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1the rank currently held, without regard as to whether a vacancy
2exists in that rank. A deputy chief of police, having been
3appointed from any rank of sworn full-time officers of that
4municipality's police department, shall be permitted,
5regardless of rank, to take promotional exams and be promoted
6to a higher classified rank than he currently holds, without
7having to resign as deputy chief of police.
8    No municipality having a population less than 1,000,000
9shall require that any firefighter appointed to the lowest rank
10serve a probationary employment period of longer than one year.
11The limitation on periods of probationary employment provided
12in Public Act 86-990 this amendatory Act of 1989 is an
13exclusive power and function of the State. Pursuant to
14subsection (h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois
15Constitution, a home rule municipality having a population less
16than 1,000,000 must comply with this limitation on periods of
17probationary employment, which is a denial and limitation of
18home rule powers. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
19this Section, the probationary employment period limitation
20may be extended for a firefighter who is required, as a
21condition of employment, to be a licensed paramedic, during
22which time the sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged
23without a hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for
24paramedic licensure.
25    To the extent that this Section or any other Section in
26this Division conflicts with Section 10-2.1-6.3 or 10-2.1-6.4,

 

 

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1then Section 10-2.1-6.3 or 10-2.1-6.4 shall control; except
2that as used in this Section, "firefighter" includes, but is
3not limited to, a paramedic, an EMT, an emergency medical
4technician-intermediate (EMT-I), or an advanced emergency
5medical technician (A-EMT).
6(Source: P.A. 100-252, eff. 8-22-17; 100-425, eff. 8-25-17;
7revised 10-3-17.)
 
8    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
9becoming law.