SB3119enr 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB3119 Enrolled LRB100 18739 MJP 33973 b

AN ACT concerning public employee benefits.

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

Section 5. The Illinois Pension Code is amended by changing Sections 4-112, 7-109, and 7-109.3 as follows:

(40 ILCS 5/4-112) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 4-112)

Sec. 4-112. Determination of disability; restoration to active service; disability cannot constitute cause for discharge. A disability pension shall not be paid until disability has been established by the board by examinations of the firefighter at pension fund expense by 3 physicians selected by the board and such other evidence as the board deems necessary. The 3 physicians selected by the board need not agree as to the existence of any disability or the nature and extent of a disability. Medical examination of a firefighter receiving a disability pension shall be made at least once each year prior to attainment of age 50 in order to verify continuance of disability, except that a medical examination of a firefighter receiving a disability pension for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to his or her service as a firefighter shall not be made if: (1) the firefighter has attained age 45; (2) the firefighter has provided to the board documentation approving the discontinuance of the medical examination from at least 2 physicians; and (3) at least 4 members of the board have voted in the affirmative to allow the firefighter to discontinue the medical examination. No examination shall be required after age 50. No physical or mental disability that constitutes, in whole or in part, the basis of an application for benefits under this Article may be used, in whole or in part, by any municipality or fire protection district employing firefighters, emergency medical technicians, or paramedics as cause for discharge.

Upon satisfactory proof to the board that a firefighter on the disability pension has recovered from disability, the board shall terminate the disability pension. The firefighter shall report to the marshal or chief of the fire department, who shall thereupon order immediate reinstatement into active service, and the municipality shall immediately return the firefighter to its payroll, in the same rank or grade held at the date he or she was placed on disability pension. If the firefighter must file a civil action against the municipality to enforce his or her mandated return to payroll under this paragraph, then the firefighter is entitled to recovery of reasonable court costs and attorney's fees.

The firefighter shall be entitled to 10 days notice before any hearing or meeting of the board at which the question of his or her disability is to be considered, and shall have the right to be present at any such hearing or meeting, and to be represented by counsel; however, the board shall not have any obligation to provide such fireman with counsel.

(Source: P.A. 95-681, eff. 10-11-07.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-109) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109)

Sec. 7-109. Employee.

(1) "Employee" means any person who:

(a) 1. Receives earnings as payment for the performance of personal services or official duties out of the general fund of a municipality, or out of any special fund or funds controlled by a municipality, or by an instrumentality thereof, or a participating instrumentality, including, in counties, the fees or earnings of any county fee office; and

2. Under the usual common law rules applicable in determining the employer-employee relationship, has the status of an employee with a municipality, or any instrumentality thereof, or a participating instrumentality, including aldermen, county supervisors and other persons (excepting those employed as independent contractors) who are paid compensation, fees, allowances or other emolument for official duties, and, in counties, the several county fee offices.

(b) Serves as a township treasurer appointed under the School Code, as heretofore or hereafter amended, and who receives for such services regular compensation as distinguished from per diem compensation, and any regular employee in the office of any township treasurer whether or not his earnings are paid from the income of the permanent township fund or from funds subject to distribution to the several school districts and parts of school districts as provided in the School Code, or from both such sources; or is the chief executive officer, chief educational officer, chief fiscal officer, or other employee of a Financial Oversight Panel established pursuant to Article 1H of the School Code, other than a superintendent or certified school business official, except that such person shall not be treated as an employee under this Section if that person has negotiated with the Financial Oversight Panel, in conjunction with the school district, a contractual agreement for exclusion from this Section.

(c) Holds an elective office in a municipality, instrumentality thereof or participating instrumentality.

(2) "Employee" does not include persons who:

(a) Are eligible for inclusion under any of the following laws:

1. "An Act in relation to an Illinois State Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund", approved May 27, 1915, as amended;

2. Articles 15 and 16 of this Code.

However, such persons shall be included as employees to the extent of earnings that are not eligible for inclusion under the foregoing laws for services not of an instructional nature of any kind.

However, any member of the armed forces who is employed as a teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officers Training Corps of any school and who is not certified under the law governing the certification of teachers shall be included as an employee.

(b) Are designated by the governing body of a municipality in which a pension fund is required by law to be established for policemen or firemen, respectively, as performing police or fire protection duties, except that when such persons are the heads of the police or fire department and are not eligible to be included within any such pension fund, they shall be included within this Article; provided, that such persons shall not be excluded to the extent of concurrent service and earnings not designated as being for police or fire protection duties. However, (i) any head of a police department who was a participant under this Article immediately before October 1, 1977 and did not elect, under Section 3-109 of this Act, to participate in a police pension fund shall be an "employee", and (ii) any chief of police who became a participating employee under this Article before January 1, 2019 and who elects to participate in this Fund under Section 3-109.1 of this Code, regardless of whether such person continues to be employed as chief of police or is employed in some other rank or capacity within the police department, shall be an employee under this Article for so long as such person is employed to perform police duties by a participating municipality and has not lawfully rescinded that election.

(b-5) Were not participating employees under this Article before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly and participated as a chief of police in a fund under Article 3 and return to work in any capacity with the police department, with any oversight of the police department, or in an advisory capacity for the police department with the same municipality with which that pension was earned, regardless of whether they are considered an employee of the police department or are eligible for inclusion in the municipality's Article 3 fund.

(c) Are contributors to or eligible to contribute to a Taft-Hartley pension plan to which the participating municipality is required to contribute as the person's employer based on earnings from the municipality. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect service credit or creditable service for any period of service prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, and this paragraph shall not apply to individuals who are participating in the Fund prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly.

(d) Become an employee of any of the following participating instrumentalities on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly: the Illinois Municipal League; the Illinois Association of Park Districts; the Illinois Supervisors, County Commissioners and Superintendents of Highways Association; an association, or not-for-profit corporation, membership in which is authorized under Section 85-15 of the Township Code; the United Counties Council; or the Will County Governmental League.

(3) All persons, including, without limitation, public defenders and probation officers, who receive earnings from general or special funds of a county for performance of personal services or official duties within the territorial limits of the county, are employees of the county (unless excluded by subsection (2) of this Section) notwithstanding that they may be appointed by and are subject to the direction of a person or persons other than a county board or a county officer. It is hereby established that an employer-employee relationship under the usual common law rules exists between such employees and the county paying their salaries by reason of the fact that the county boards fix their rates of compensation, appropriate funds for payment of their earnings and otherwise exercise control over them. This finding and this amendatory Act shall apply to all such employees from the date of appointment whether such date is prior to or after the effective date of this amendatory Act and is intended to clarify existing law pertaining to their status as participating employees in the Fund.

(Source: P.A. 99-830, eff. 1-1-17; 100-281, eff. 8-24-17.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-109.3) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109.3)

Sec. 7-109.3. "Sheriff's Law Enforcement Employees".

(a) "Sheriff's law enforcement employee" or "SLEP" means:

(1) A county sheriff and all deputies, other than special deputies, employed on a full time basis in the office of the sheriff.

(2) A person who has elected to participate in this Fund under Section 3-109.1 of this Code, and who is employed by a participating municipality to perform police duties.

(3) A law enforcement officer employed on a full time basis by a Forest Preserve District, provided that such officer shall be deemed a "sheriff's law enforcement employee" for the purposes of this Article, and service in that capacity shall be deemed to be service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee, only if the board of commissioners of the District have so elected by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Such election, once made, may not be rescinded.

(4) A person not eligible to participate in a fund established under Article 3 of this Code who is employed on a full-time basis by a participating municipality or participating instrumentality to perform police duties at an airport, but only if the governing authority of the employer has approved sheriff's law enforcement employee status for its airport police employees by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Such approval, once given, may not be rescinded.

(5) A person first hired on or after January 1, 2011 who (i) is employed by a participating municipality that has both 30 or more full-time police officers and 50 or more full-time firefighters and has not established a fund under Article 3 or Article 4 of this Code and (ii) is employed on a full-time basis by that participating municipality to perform police duties or firefighting and EMS duties; but only if the governing authority of that municipality has approved sheriff's law enforcement employee status for its police officer or firefighter employees by adoption of an affirmative resolution. The resolution must specify that SLEP status shall be applicable to such employment occurring on or after the adoption of the resolution. Such resolution shall be irrevocable, but shall automatically terminate upon the establishment of an Article 3 or 4 fund by the municipality.

(b) An employee who is a sheriff's law enforcement employee and is granted military leave or authorized leave of absence shall receive service credit in that capacity. Sheriff's law enforcement employees shall not be entitled to out-of-State service credit under Section 7-139.

(Source: P.A. 100-354, eff. 8-25-17.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.