Public Act 096-0472
 
HB3877 Enrolled LRB096 08872 RLJ 19007 b

    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by
changing Sections 10-1-12, 10-2.1-6, and 10-2.1-14 as follows:
 
    (65 ILCS 5/10-1-12)  (from Ch. 24, par. 10-1-12)
    Sec. 10-1-12. Register; eligibility list. From the returns
or reports of the examiners, or from the examinations made by
the commission, the commission shall prepare a register for
each grade or class of positions in the classified service of
such municipality of the persons whose general average standing
upon examination for such grade or class is not less than the
minimum fixed by the rules of such commission, and who are
otherwise eligible. Such persons shall take rank upon the
register as candidates in the order of their relative
excellence as determined by examination, without reference to
priority of time of examination.
    Within 60 days after each examination, an eligibility list
shall be posted by the Commission, which shall show the final
grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time
of examination and subject to claim for military credit.
Candidates who are eligible for military credit shall make a
claim in writing within 10 days after posting of the
eligibility list or such claim shall be deemed waived.
Appointment shall be subject to a final physical examination.
    If a person is placed on an eligibility list and becomes
overage before he or she is appointed to a police or fire
department, the person remains eligible for appointment until
the list is abolished pursuant to authorized procedures.
Otherwise no person who has attained the age of 36 years shall
be inducted as a member of a police department and no person
who has attained the age of 35 years shall be inducted as a
member of a fire department, except as otherwise provided in
this division. With respect to a police department, a veteran
shall be allowed to exceed the maximum age provision of this
Section by the number of years served on active military duty,
but by no more than 10 years of active military duty.
(Source: P.A. 89-52, eff. 6-30-95; 90-481, eff. 8-17-97.)
 
    (65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6)  (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-6)
    Sec. 10-2.1-6. Examination of applicants;
disqualifications.
    (a) All applicants for a position in either the fire or
police department of the municipality shall be under 35 years
of age, shall be subject to an examination that shall be
public, competitive, and open to all applicants (unless the
council or board of trustees by ordinance limit applicants to
electors of the municipality, county, state or nation) and
shall be subject to reasonable limitations as to residence,
health, habits, and moral character. The municipality may not
charge or collect any fee from an applicant who has met all
prequalification standards established by the municipality for
any such position. With respect to a police department, a
veteran shall be allowed to exceed the maximum age provision of
this Section by the number of years served on active military
duty, but by no more than 10 years of active military duty.
    (b) Residency requirements in effect at the time an
individual enters the fire or police service of a municipality
(other than a municipality that has more than 1,000,000
inhabitants) cannot be made more restrictive for that
individual during his period of service for that municipality,
or be made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or
position of Fire or Police Chief.
    (c) No person with a record of misdemeanor convictions
except those under Sections 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15,
11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3,
24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2,
32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections (1), (6) and (8) of Section
24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or arrested for any cause but
not convicted on that cause shall be disqualified from taking
the examination to qualify for a position in the fire
department on grounds of habits or moral character.
    (d) The age limitation in subsection (a) does not apply (i)
to any person previously employed as a policeman or fireman in
a regularly constituted police or fire department of (I) any
municipality, regardless of whether the municipality is
located in Illinois or in another state, or (II) a fire
protection district whose obligations were assumed by a
municipality under Section 21 of the Fire Protection District
Act, (ii) to any person who has served a municipality as a
regularly enrolled volunteer fireman for 5 years immediately
preceding the time that municipality begins to use full time
firemen to provide all or part of its fire protection service,
or (iii) to any person who has served as an auxiliary police
officer under Section 3.1-30-20 for at least 5 years and is
under 40 years of age, (iv) to any person who has served as a
deputy under Section 3-6008 of the Counties Code and otherwise
meets necessary training requirements, or (v) to any person who
has served as a sworn officer as a member of the Illinois
Department of State Police.
    (e) Applicants who are 20 years of age and who have
successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an
accredited college or university may be considered for
appointment to active duty with the police department. An
applicant described in this subsection (e) who is appointed to
active duty shall not have power of arrest, nor shall the
applicant be permitted to carry firearms, until he or she
reaches 21 years of age.
    (f) Applicants who are 18 years of age and who have
successfully completed 2 years of study in fire techniques,
amounting to a total of 4 high school credits, within the cadet
program of a municipality may be considered for appointment to
active duty with the fire department of any municipality.
    (g) The council or board of trustees may by ordinance
provide that persons residing outside the municipality are
eligible to take the examination.
    (h) The examinations shall be practical in character and
relate to those matters that will fairly test the capacity of
the persons examined to discharge the duties of the positions
to which they seek appointment. No person shall be appointed to
the police or fire department if he or she does not possess a
high school diploma or an equivalent high school education. A
board of fire and police commissioners may, by its rules,
require police applicants to have obtained an associate's
degree or a bachelor's degree as a prerequisite for employment.
The examinations shall include tests of physical
qualifications and health. A board of fire and police
commissioners may, by its rules, waive portions of the required
examination for police applicants who have previously been
full-time sworn officers of a regular police department in any
municipal, county, university, or State law enforcement
agency, provided they are certified by the Illinois Law
Enforcement Training Standards Board and have been with their
respective law enforcement agency within the State for at least
2 years. No person shall be appointed to the police or fire
department if he or she has suffered the amputation of any limb
unless the applicant's duties will be only clerical or as a
radio operator. No applicant shall be examined concerning his
or her political or religious opinions or affiliations. The
examinations shall be conducted by the board of fire and police
commissioners of the municipality as provided in this Division
2.1.
    (i) No person who is classified by his local selective
service draft board as a conscientious objector, or who has
ever been so classified, may be appointed to the police
department.
    (j) No person shall be appointed to the police or fire
department unless he or she is a person of good character and
not an habitual drunkard, gambler, or a person who has been
convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. No
person, however, shall be disqualified from appointment to the
fire department because of his or her record of misdemeanor
convictions except those under Sections 11-6, 11-7, 11-9,
11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4,
16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7,
32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections (1), (6) and (8)
of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or arrest for any
cause without conviction on that cause. Any such person who is
in the department may be removed on charges brought and after a
trial as provided in this Division 2.1.
(Source: P.A. 94-29, eff. 6-14-05; 94-984, eff. 6-30-06;
95-165, eff. 1-1-08; 95-931, eff. 1-1-09.)
 
    (65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-14)  (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-14)
    Sec. 10-2.1-14. Register of eligibles. The board of fire
and police commissioners shall prepare and keep a register of
persons whose general average standing, upon examination, is
not less than the minimum fixed by the rules of the board, and
who are otherwise eligible. These persons shall take rank upon
the register as candidates in the order of their relative
excellence as determined by examination, without reference to
priority of time of examination. The board of fire and police
commissioners may prepare and keep a second register of persons
who have previously been full-time sworn officers of a regular
police department in any municipal, county, university, or
State law enforcement agency, provided they are certified by
the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board and have
been with their respective law enforcement agency within the
State for at least 2 years. The persons on this list shall take
rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their
relative excellence as determined by members of the board of
fire and police commissioners. Applicants who have been awarded
a certificate attesting to their successful completion of the
Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Training Course, as
provided in the Illinois Police Training Act, may be given
preference in appointment over noncertified applicants.
Applicants for appointment to fire departments who are licensed
as an EMT-B, EMT-I, or EMT-P under the Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) Systems Act, may be given preference in
appointment over non-licensed applicants.
    Within 60 days after each examination, an eligibility list
shall be posted by the board, which shall show the final grades
of the candidates without reference to priority of time of
examination and subject to claim for military credit.
Candidates who are eligible for military credit shall make a
claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the
eligibility list or such claim shall be deemed waived.
Appointment shall be subject to a final physical examination.
    If a person is placed on an eligibility list and becomes
overage before he or she is appointed to a police or fire
department, the person remains eligible for appointment until
the list is abolished pursuant to authorized procedures.
Otherwise no person who has attained the age of 36 years shall
be inducted as a member of a police department and no person
who has attained the age of 35 years shall be inducted as a
member of a fire department, except as otherwise provided in
this division. With respect to a police department, a veteran
shall be allowed to exceed the maximum age provision of this
Section by the number of years served on active military duty,
but by no more than 10 years of active military duty.
(Source: P.A. 94-281, eff. 1-1-06; 95-931, eff. 1-1-09.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.