Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth

Filed: 4/6/2016

 

 


 

 


 
09900HB5201ham001LRB099 17313 AWJ 45815 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5201

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5201 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by
5changing Section 10-1-7.1 as follows:
 
6    (65 ILCS 5/10-1-7.1)
7    Sec. 10-1-7.1. Original appointments; full-time fire
8department.
9    (a) Applicability. Unless a commission elects to follow the
10provisions of Section 10-1-7.2, this Section shall apply to all
11original appointments to an affected full-time fire
12department. Existing registers of eligibles shall continue to
13be valid until their expiration dates, or up to a maximum of 2
14years after August 4, 2011 (the effective date of Public Act
1597-251) this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.
16    Notwithstanding any statute, ordinance, rule, or other law

 

 

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1to the contrary, all original appointments to an affected
2department to which this Section applies shall be administered
3in the manner provided for in this Section. Provisions of the
4Illinois Municipal Code, municipal ordinances, and rules
5adopted pursuant to such authority and other laws relating to
6initial hiring of firefighters in affected departments shall
7continue to apply to the extent they are compatible with this
8Section, but in the event of a conflict between this Section
9and any other law, this Section shall control.
10    A home rule or non-home rule municipality may not
11administer its fire department process for original
12appointments in a manner that is less stringent than this
13Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of
14Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the
15concurrent exercise by home rule units of the powers and
16functions exercised by the State.
17    A municipality that is operating under a court order or
18consent decree regarding original appointments to a full-time
19fire department before August 4, 2011 (the effective date of
20Public Act 97-251) this amendatory Act of the 97th General
21Assembly is exempt from the requirements of this Section for
22the duration of the court order or consent decree.
23    Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection
24(a), this Section does not apply to a municipality with more
25than 1,000,000 inhabitants.
26    (b) Original appointments. All original appointments made

 

 

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1to an affected fire department shall be made from a register of
2eligibles established in accordance with the processes
3established by this Section. Only persons who meet or exceed
4the performance standards required by this Section shall be
5placed on a register of eligibles for original appointment to
6an affected fire department.
7    Whenever an appointing authority authorizes action to hire
8a person to perform the duties of a firefighter or to hire a
9firefighter-paramedic to fill a position that is a new position
10or vacancy due to resignation, discharge, promotion, death, the
11granting of a disability or retirement pension, or any other
12cause, the appointing authority shall appoint to that position
13the person with the highest ranking on the final eligibility
14list. If the appointing authority has reason to conclude that
15the highest ranked person fails to meet the minimum standards
16for the position or if the appointing authority believes an
17alternate candidate would better serve the needs of the
18department, then the appointing authority has the right to pass
19over the highest ranked person and appoint either: (i) any
20person who has a ranking in the top 5% of the register of
21eligibles or (ii) any person who is among the top 5 highest
22ranked persons on the list of eligibles if the number of people
23who have a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles
24is less than 5 people.
25    Any candidate may pass on an appointment once without
26losing his or her position on the register of eligibles. Any

 

 

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1candidate who passes a second time may be removed from the list
2by the appointing authority provided that such action shall not
3prejudice a person's opportunities to participate in future
4examinations, including an examination held during the time a
5candidate is already on the municipality's register of
6eligibles.
7    The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment
8shall be vested in the Civil Service Commission. All
9certificates of appointment issued to any officer or member of
10an affected department shall be signed by the chairperson and
11secretary, respectively, of the commission upon appointment of
12such officer or member to the affected department by the
13commission. Each person who accepts a certificate of
14appointment and successfully completes his or her probationary
15period shall be enrolled as a firefighter and as a regular
16member of the fire department.
17    For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any
18person who has been prior to, on, or after August 4, 2011 (the
19effective date of Public Act 97-251) this amendatory Act of the
2097th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire
21protection district or employed by a State university and sworn
22or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic
23duties, or both, except that the following persons are not
24included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or
25voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters;
26clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire

 

 

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1department or fire protection district who are not routinely
2expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.
3    (c) Qualification for placement on register of eligibles.
4The purpose of establishing a register of eligibles is to
5identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental
6aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of
7members of the fire department in order to provide the highest
8quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants
9for original appointment to an affected fire department shall
10be subject to examination and testing which shall be public,
11competitive, and open to all applicants unless the municipality
12shall by ordinance limit applicants to residents of the
13municipality, county or counties in which the municipality is
14located, State, or nation. Any examination and testing
15procedure utilized under subsection (e) of this Section shall
16be supported by appropriate validation evidence and shall
17comply with all applicable State and federal laws.
18Municipalities may establish educational, emergency medical
19service licensure, and other pre-requisites for participation
20in an examination or for hire as a firefighter. Any
21municipality may charge a fee to cover the costs of the
22application process.
23    Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual
24enters the fire service of a municipality cannot be made more
25restrictive for that individual during his or her period of
26service for that municipality, or be made a condition of

 

 

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1promotion, except for the rank or position of fire chief and
2for no more than 2 positions that rank immediately below that
3of the chief rank which are appointed positions pursuant to the
4Fire Department Promotion Act.
5    No person who is 35 years of age or older shall be eligible
6to take an examination for a position as a firefighter unless
7the person has had previous employment status as a firefighter
8in the regularly constituted fire department of the
9municipality, except as provided in this Section. The age
10limitation does not apply to:
11        (1) any person previously employed as a full-time
12    firefighter in a regularly constituted fire department of
13    (i) any municipality or fire protection district located in
14    Illinois, (ii) a fire protection district whose
15    obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21
16    of the Fire Protection District Act, or (iii) a
17    municipality whose obligations were taken over by a fire
18    protection district,
19        (2) any person who has served a municipality as a
20    regularly enrolled volunteer, paid-on-call, or part-time
21    firefighter for the 5 years immediately preceding the time
22    that the municipality begins to use full-time firefighters
23    to provide all or part of its fire protection service, or
24        (3) any person who turned 35 while serving as a member
25    of the active or reserve components of any of the branches
26    of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National

 

 

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1    Guard of any state, whose service was characterized as
2    honorable or under honorable, if separated from the
3    military, and is currently under the age of 40.
4    No person who is under 21 years of age shall be eligible
5for employment as a firefighter.
6    No applicant shall be examined concerning his or her
7political or religious opinions or affiliations. The
8examinations shall be conducted by the commissioners of the
9municipality or their designees and agents.
10    No municipality shall require that any firefighter
11appointed to the lowest rank serve a probationary employment
12period of longer than one year of actual active employment,
13which may exclude periods of training, or injury or illness
14leaves, including duty related leave, in excess of 30 calendar
15days. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section,
16the probationary employment period limitation may be extended
17for a firefighter who is required, as a condition of
18employment, to be a licensed paramedic, during which time the
19sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged without a
20hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for paramedic
21licensure.
22    In the event that any applicant who has been found eligible
23for appointment and whose name has been placed upon the final
24eligibility register provided for in this Division 1 has not
25been appointed to a firefighter position within one year after
26the date of his or her physical ability examination, the

 

 

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1commission may cause a second examination to be made of that
2applicant's physical ability prior to his or her appointment.
3If, after the second examination, the physical ability of the
4applicant shall be found to be less than the minimum standard
5fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not
6be appointed. The applicant's name may be retained upon the
7register of candidates eligible for appointment and when next
8reached for certification and appointment that applicant may be
9again examined as provided in this Section, and if the physical
10ability of that applicant is found to be less than the minimum
11standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant
12shall not be appointed, and the name of the applicant shall be
13removed from the register.
14    (d) Notice, examination, and testing components. Notice of
15the time, place, general scope, merit criteria for any
16subjective component, and fee of every examination shall be
17given by the commission, by a publication at least 2 weeks
18preceding the examination: (i) in one or more newspapers
19published in the municipality, or if no newspaper is published
20therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general
21circulation within the municipality, or (ii) on the
22municipality's Internet website. Additional notice of the
23examination may be given as the commission shall prescribe.
24    The examination and qualifying standards for employment of
25firefighters shall be based on: mental aptitude, physical
26ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental

 

 

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1aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall
2determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the
3final register of eligibles. The examination may also include a
4subjective component based on merit criteria as determined by
5the commission. Scores from the examination must be made
6available to the public.
7    (e) Mental aptitude. No person who does not possess at
8least a high school diploma or an equivalent high school
9education shall be placed on a register of eligibles.
10Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based
11upon a written examination. The examination shall be practical
12in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the
13capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties
14performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations
15shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and
16accuracy of the scores achieved.
17    (f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to
18undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the
19essential functions included in the duties they may be called
20upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the
21purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are
22functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be
23called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The
24frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire
25department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor
26in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected

 

 

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1for testing. These physical examinations shall be open,
2competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test
3each applicant's physical abilities in the following
4dimensions:
5        (1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions
6    that may be required in the performance of duties including
7    grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall
8    be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions
9    to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in
10    performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested may be based
11    on standards developed, or approved, by the local
12    appointing authority.
13        (2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights,
14    walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces,
15    and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.
16        (3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive,
17    and complex problem solving during physical exertion in
18    stressful and hazardous environments. The testing
19    environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed
20    spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.
21    The tests utilized to measure each applicant's
22capabilities in each of these dimensions may be tests based on
23industry standards currently in use or equivalent tests
24approved by the Joint Labor-Management Committee of the Office
25of the State Fire Marshal.
26    Physical ability examinations administered under this

 

 

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1Section shall be conducted with a reasonable number of proctors
2and monitors, open to the public, and subject to reasonable
3regulations of the commission.
4    (g) Scoring of examination components. Appointing
5authorities may create a preliminary eligibility register. A
6person shall be placed on the list based upon his or her
7passage of the written examination or the passage of the
8written examination and the physical ability component.
9Passage of the written examination means attaining the minimum
10score set by the commission. Minimum scores should be set by
11the commission so as to demonstrate a candidate's ability to
12perform the essential functions of the job. The minimum score
13set by the commission shall be supported by appropriate
14validation evidence and shall comply with all applicable State
15and federal laws. The appointing authority may conduct the
16physical ability component and any subjective components
17subsequent to the posting of the preliminary eligibility
18register.
19    The examination components for an initial eligibility
20register shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's
21position on the list shall be determined by the following: (i)
22the person's score on the written examination, (ii) the person
23successfully passing the physical ability component, and (iii)
24the person's results on any subjective component as described
25in subsection (d).
26    In order to qualify for placement on the final eligibility

 

 

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1register, an applicant's score on the written examination,
2before any applicable preference points or subjective points
3are applied, shall be at or above the minimum score set by the
4commission. The local appointing authority may prescribe the
5score to qualify for placement on the final eligibility
6register, but the score shall not be less than the minimum
7score set by the commission.
8    The commission shall prepare and keep a register of persons
9whose total score is not less than the minimum score for
10passage and who have passed the physical ability examination.
11These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates
12in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest
13to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude,
14subjective component, and preference components of the test
15administered in accordance with this Section. No more than 60
16days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall
17be posted by the commission. The list shall include the final
18grades of the candidates without reference to priority of the
19time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.
20    Commissions may conduct additional examinations, including
21without limitation a polygraph test, after a final eligibility
22register is established and before it expires with the
23candidates ranked by total score without regard to date of
24examination. No more than 60 days after each examination, an
25initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission
26showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to

 

 

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1priority of time of examination and subject to claim for
2preference credit.
3    (h) Preferences. The following are preferences:
4        (1) Veteran preference. Persons who were engaged in the
5    military service of the United States for a period of at
6    least one year of active duty and who were honorably
7    discharged therefrom, or who are now or have been members
8    on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval
9    service, shall be preferred for appointment to and
10    employment with the fire department of an affected
11    department.
12        (1-5) Minorities shall be preferred for appointment
13    to, and employment with, the fire department of an affected
14    department. For purposes of this paragraph, "minority"
15    means a person who is any of the following: (1) American
16    Indian or Alaska Native (a person having origins in any of
17    the original peoples of North and South America, including
18    Central America, and who maintains tribal affiliation or
19    community attachment); (2) Asian (a person having origins
20    in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast
21    Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, but not
22    limited to, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea,
23    Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and
24    Vietnam); (3) Black or African American (a person having
25    origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa). Terms
26    such as "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to

 

 

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1    "Black or African American"; (4) Hispanic or Latino (a
2    person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central
3    American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of
4    race); (5) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (a
5    person having origins in any of the original peoples of
6    Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands).
7        (1-10) Women shall be preferred for appointment to, and
8    employment with, the fire department of an affected
9    department.
10        (2) Fire cadet preference. Persons who have
11    successfully completed 2 years of study in fire techniques
12    or cadet training within a cadet program established under
13    the rules of the Joint Labor and Management Committee
14    (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department
15    Promotion Act, may be preferred for appointment to and
16    employment with the fire department.
17        (3) Educational preference. Persons who have
18    successfully obtained an associate's degree in the field of
19    fire service or emergency medical services, or a bachelor's
20    degree from an accredited college or university may be
21    preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire
22    department.
23        (4) Paramedic preference. Persons who have obtained a
24    license as a paramedic may be preferred for appointment to
25    and employment with the fire department of an affected
26    department providing emergency medical services.

 

 

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1        (5) Experience preference. All persons employed by a
2    municipality who have been paid-on-call or part-time
3    certified Firefighter II, certified Firefighter III, State
4    of Illinois or nationally licensed EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT, or
5    paramedic, or any combination of those capacities may be
6    awarded up to a maximum of 5 points. However, the applicant
7    may not be awarded more than 0.5 points for each complete
8    year of paid-on-call or part-time service. Applicants from
9    outside the municipality who were employed as full-time
10    firefighters or firefighter-paramedics by a fire
11    protection district or another municipality may be awarded
12    up to 5 experience preference points. However, the
13    applicant may not be awarded more than one point for each
14    complete year of full-time service.
15        Upon request by the commission, the governing body of
16    the municipality or in the case of applicants from outside
17    the municipality the governing body of any fire protection
18    district or any other municipality shall certify to the
19    commission, within 10 days after the request, the number of
20    years of successful paid-on-call, part-time, or full-time
21    service of any person. A candidate may not receive the full
22    amount of preference points under this subsection if the
23    amount of points awarded would place the candidate before a
24    veteran on the eligibility list. If more than one candidate
25    receiving experience preference points is prevented from
26    receiving all of their points due to not being allowed to

 

 

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1    pass a veteran, the candidates shall be placed on the list
2    below the veteran in rank order based on the totals
3    received if all points under this subsection were to be
4    awarded. Any remaining ties on the list shall be determined
5    by lot.
6        (6) Residency preference. Applicants whose principal
7    residence is located within the fire department's
8    jurisdiction may be preferred for appointment to and
9    employment with the fire department.
10        (7) Additional preferences. Up to 5 additional
11    preference points may be awarded for unique categories
12    based on an applicant's experience or background as
13    identified by the commission.
14        (8) Scoring of preferences. The commission shall give
15    preference for original appointment to persons designated
16    in items item (1), (1-5), and (1-10) by adding to the final
17    grade that they receive 5 points for the recognized
18    preference achieved. However, no more than 5 points may be
19    added to the final grade of a person who meets the
20    requirements of both (1-5) and (1-10). The commission shall
21    determine the number of preference points for each category
22    except (1), (1-5), and (1-10). The number of preference
23    points for each category shall range from 0 to 5. In
24    determining the number of preference points, the
25    commission shall prescribe that if a candidate earns the
26    maximum number of preference points in all categories, that

 

 

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1    number may not be less than 10 nor more than 30. The
2    commission shall give preference for original appointment
3    to persons designated in items (2) through (7) by adding
4    the requisite number of points to the final grade for each
5    recognized preference achieved. The numerical result thus
6    attained shall be applied by the commission in determining
7    the final eligibility list and appointment from the
8    eligibility list. The local appointing authority may
9    prescribe the total number of preference points awarded
10    under this Section, but the total number of preference
11    points shall not be less than 10 points or more than 30
12    points.
13    No person entitled to any preference shall be required to
14claim the credit before any examination held under the
15provisions of this Section, but the preference shall be given
16after the posting or publication of the initial eligibility
17list or register at the request of a person entitled to a
18credit before any certification or appointments are made from
19the eligibility register, upon the furnishing of verifiable
20evidence and proof of qualifying preference credit. Candidates
21who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in
22writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial
23eligibility list, or the claim shall be deemed waived. Final
24eligibility registers shall be established after the awarding
25of verified preference points. All employment shall be subject
26to the commission's initial hire background review including,

 

 

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1but not limited to, criminal history, employment history, moral
2character, oral examination, and medical and psychological
3examinations, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical and
4psychological examinations must be conducted last, and may only
5be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been
6extended.
7    Any person placed on an eligibility list who exceeds the
8age requirement before being appointed to a fire department
9shall remain eligible for appointment until the list is
10abolished, or his or her name has been on the list for a period
11of 2 years. No person who has attained the age of 35 years
12shall be inducted into a fire department, except as otherwise
13provided in this Section.
14    The commission shall strike off the names of candidates for
15original appointment after the names have been on the list for
16more than 2 years.
17    (i) Moral character. No person shall be appointed to a fire
18department unless he or she is a person of good character; not
19a habitual drunkard, a gambler, or a person who has been
20convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude.
21However, no person shall be disqualified from appointment to
22the fire department because of the person's record of
23misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-6,
2411-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6,
2512-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1,
2631-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections

 

 

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11, 6, and 8 of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the
2Criminal Code of 2012, or arrest for any cause without
3conviction thereon. Any such person who is in the department
4may be removed on charges brought for violating this subsection
5and after a trial as hereinafter provided.
6    A classifiable set of the fingerprints of every person who
7is offered employment as a certificated member of an affected
8fire department whether with or without compensation, shall be
9furnished to the Illinois Department of State Police and to the
10Federal Bureau of Investigation by the commission.
11    Whenever a commission is authorized or required by law to
12consider some aspect of criminal history record information for
13the purpose of carrying out its statutory powers and
14responsibilities, then, upon request and payment of fees in
15conformance with the requirements of Section 2605-400 of the
16State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois,
17the Department of State Police is authorized to furnish,
18pursuant to positive identification, the information contained
19in State files as is necessary to fulfill the request.
20    (j) Temporary appointments. In order to prevent a stoppage
21of public business, to meet extraordinary exigencies, or to
22prevent material impairment of the fire department, the
23commission may make temporary appointments, to remain in force
24only until regular appointments are made under the provisions
25of this Division, but never to exceed 60 days. No temporary
26appointment of any one person shall be made more than twice in

 

 

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1any calendar year.
2    (k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test
3questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise
4knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section,
5commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to
6charges for official misconduct.
7    A person who is the knowing recipient of test information
8in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the
9examination or discharged from the position to which he or she
10was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to
11disciplinary actions.
12(Source: P.A. 98-760, eff. 7-16-14; 98-973, eff. 8-15-14;
1399-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-379, eff. 8-17-15.)".