HB1298 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 07302 RTM 17341 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB1298

Introduced 1/28/2025, by Rep. Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

50 ILCS 742/5

Amends the Fire Department Promotion Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Fire Department Promotion Act is amended by changing Section 5 as follows:

(50 ILCS 742/5)

Sec. 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Affected department" or "department" means a full-time municipal fire department that that is subject to a collective bargaining agreement or the fire department operated by a full-time fire protection district. The terms do not include fire departments operated by the State, a university, or any unit of local government other than a municipality or fire protection district. The terms also do not include a combined department that was providing both police and firefighting services on January 1, 2002.

"Appointing authority" means the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, Board of Fire Commissioners, Civil Service Commissioners, Superintendent or Department Head, Fire Protection District Board of Trustees, or other entity having the authority to administer and grant promotions in an affected department.

"Promotion" means any appointment or advancement to a rank within the affected department (1) for which an examination was required before January 1, 2002; (2) that is included within a bargaining unit; or (3) that is the next rank immediately above the highest rank included within a bargaining unit, provided such rank is not the only rank between the Fire Chief and the highest rank included within the bargaining unit, or is a rank otherwise excepted under item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v) of this definition. "Promotion" does not include appointments (i) that are for fewer than 180 days; (ii) to the positions of Superintendent, Chief, or other chief executive officer; (iii) to an exclusively administrative or executive rank for which an examination is not required; (iv) to a rank that was exempted by a home rule municipality prior to January 1, 2002, provided that after the effective date of this Act no home rule municipality may exempt any future or existing ranks from the provisions of this Act; or (v) to an administrative rank immediately below the Superintendent, Chief, or other chief executive officer of an affected department, provided such rank shall not be held by more than 2 persons and there is a promoted rank immediately below it. Notwithstanding the exceptions to the definition of "promotion" set forth in items (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) of this definition, promotions shall include any appointments to ranks covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement in effect on the effective date of this Act.

"Preliminary promotion list" means the rank order of eligible candidates established in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 20 prior to applicable veteran's preference points. A person on the preliminary promotion list who is eligible for veteran's preference under the laws and agreements applicable to the appointing authority may file a written application for that preference within 10 days after the initial posting of the preliminary promotion list. The preference shall be calculated in accordance with Section 55 and applied as an addition to the person's total point score on the examination. The appointing authority shall make adjustments to the preliminary promotion list based on any veteran's preference claimed and the final adjusted promotion list shall then be posted by the appointing authority.

"Rank" means any position within the chain of command of a fire department to which employees are regularly assigned to perform duties related to providing fire suppression, fire prevention, or emergency services.

"Final adjusted promotion list" means the promotion list for the position that is in effect on the date the position is created or the vacancy occurs. If there is no final adjusted promotion list in effect for that position on that date, or if all persons on the current final adjusted promotion list for that position refuse the promotion, the affected department shall not make a permanent promotion until a new final adjusted promotion list has been prepared in accordance with this Act, but may make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy. Temporary appointments shall not exceed 180 days.

Each component of the promotional test shall be scored on a scale of 100 points. The component scores shall then be reduced by the weighting factor assigned to the component on the test and the scores of all components shall be added to produce a total score based on a scale of 100 points.

(Source: P.A. 103-385, eff. 1-1-24.)