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| 1 | AN ACT concerning education. | ||||||
| 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 | Educational Credit for Firefighting Experience Act. | ||||||
| 6 | Section 5. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||||
| 7 | "Firefighter" means either a career or volunteer | ||||||
| 8 | firefighter. | ||||||
| 9 | "Institution of higher education" means the University of | ||||||
| 10 | Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago State | ||||||
| 11 | University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State | ||||||
| 12 | University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois | ||||||
| 13 | University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois | ||||||
| 14 | University, a public community college that is included in the | ||||||
| 15 | definition of "Community Colleges" under Section 1-2 of the | ||||||
| 16 | Public Community College Act, and any institution that | ||||||
| 17 | receives funds under Section 35 of the Higher Education | ||||||
| 18 | Student Assistance Act. | ||||||
| 19 | Section 10. Policies and procedures. | ||||||
| 20 | (a) Before June 1, 2027, each institution of higher | ||||||
| 21 | education with an applicable program that offers at least one | ||||||
| 22 | course for credit hours recommended for equivalency by a | ||||||
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| 1 | national higher education association that provides credit | ||||||
| 2 | recommendations for firefighting training courses and programs | ||||||
| 3 | shall adopt a policy regarding its awarding of academic credit | ||||||
| 4 | for firefighter training considered applicable to the | ||||||
| 5 | requirements of a student's certificate or degree program. The | ||||||
| 6 | policy shall apply to any individual who is enrolled in the | ||||||
| 7 | institution of higher education and who has successfully | ||||||
| 8 | completed a firefighting training course or program as part of | ||||||
| 9 | his or her firefighting service that is: | ||||||
| 10 | (1) recommended for credit by a national higher | ||||||
| 11 | education association that provides credit recommendations | ||||||
| 12 | for firefighting training courses and programs; or | ||||||
| 13 | (2) otherwise documented as firefighting training or | ||||||
| 14 | experience. | ||||||
| 15 | (b) Each institution of higher education shall develop a | ||||||
| 16 | procedure for receiving the necessary documentation to | ||||||
| 17 | identify and verify the firefighting training course or | ||||||
| 18 | program that an individual is claiming for academic credit. | ||||||
| 19 | (c) Each institution of higher education shall provide a | ||||||
| 20 | copy of its policy for awarding academic credit for | ||||||
| 21 | firefighter training to any applicant who listed prior or | ||||||
| 22 | present firefighting service in his or her admission | ||||||
| 23 | application. | ||||||
| 24 | (d) Each institution of higher education shall develop and | ||||||
| 25 | maintain a list of firefighting training courses and programs | ||||||
| 26 | that have qualified for academic credit. | ||||||
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| 1 | Section 15. Annual policy submission. Each institution of | ||||||
| 2 | higher education shall submit its policy for awarding academic | ||||||
| 3 | credit for firefighter training to the Board of Higher | ||||||
| 4 | Education and the Illinois Community College Board, if | ||||||
| 5 | applicable, by March 31, 2027 and by March 31 of each year | ||||||
| 6 | thereafter for the policy that is effective in the subsequent | ||||||
| 7 | fall semester. The policy shall be incorporated into the | ||||||
| 8 | institution's credit for prior learning policies required to | ||||||
| 9 | be submitted pursuant to the Credit for Prior Learning Act. | ||||||