HB4851 Engrossed LRB093 15018 MKM 40589 b

1     AN ACT in relation to employment.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Volunteer Firefighter Job Protection Act.
 
6     Section 3. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7     "Volunteer firefighter" means a firefighter who does not
8 receive monetary compensation for his or her services to a fire
9 department or fire protection district and who does not work
10 for any other fire department or fire protection district for
11 monetary compensation.
 
12     Section 5. Volunteer firefighter; when termination of
13 employment prohibited.
14     (a) No public or private employer may terminate an employee
15 who is a volunteer firefighter because the employee, when
16 acting as a volunteer firefighter, is absent from or late to
17 his or her employment in order to respond to an emergency prior
18 to the time the employee is to report to his or her place of
19 employment.
20     (b) An employer may charge, against the employee's regular
21 pay, any time that an employee who is a volunteer firefighter
22 loses from employment because of the employee's response to an
23 emergency in the course of performing his or her duties as a
24 volunteer firefighter.
25     (c) In the case of an employee who is a volunteer
26 firefighter and who loses time from his or her employment in
27 order to respond to an emergency in the course of performing
28 his or her duties as a volunteer firefighter, the employer has
29 the right to request the employee to provide the employer with
30 a written statement from the supervisor or acting supervisor of
31 the volunteer fire department stating that the employee

 

 

HB4851 Engrossed - 2 - LRB093 15018 MKM 40589 b

1 responded to an emergency and stating the time and date of the
2 emergency.
3     (d) An employee who is a volunteer firefighter and who may
4 be absent from or late to his or her employment in order to
5 respond to an emergency in the course of performing his or her
6 duties as a volunteer firefighter must make a reasonable effort
7 to notify his or her employer that he or she may be absent or
8 late.
 
9     Section 10. Employer's violation; civil action. An
10 employee who is terminated in violation of this Act may bring a
11 civil action against his or her employer who violated this Act.
12 The employee may seek reinstatement to his or her former
13 position, payment of back wages, reinstatement of fringe
14 benefits, and, where seniority rights are granted,
15 reinstatement of seniority rights. The employee must commence
16 such an action within one year after the date of the employer's
17 violation.
 
18     Section 15. Home rule powers. A home rule unit may not
19 regulate employment in a manner inconsistent with the
20 regulation by the State of employment under this Act. This
21 Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of
22 Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent
23 exercise by home rule units of powers and functions exercised
24 by the State.
 
25     Section 20. Applicability. This Act applies only to
26 municipalities with a population of 3,500 or less.
 
27     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
28 becoming law.