Bill Text: IL SB1793 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Creates an advisory board in the Chicago Fire Department to recommend to the Fire Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department the best candidates for each position of temporary fire chief and temporary paramedic chief. Defines terms. Requires that the Fire Commissioner provide notice of positions to which he or she will be appointing fire chiefs or paramedic chiefs and a list of qualified candidates for each position. Provides that the Fire Commissioner may appoint fire chiefs and paramedic chiefs after receiving recommendations from the advisory board if the candidates meet specified criteria. Provides that the advisory board shall make rules and procedures and that the City of Chicago shall provide administrative and other support to the advisory board. Limits home rule powers. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2021-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB1793 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SB1793-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 SB1793 Introduced 2/15/2019, by Sen. John G. Mulroe SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
65 ILCS 5/10-1-7.4 new
Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Creates an advisory board in the Chicago Fire Department to recommend to the Fire Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department the best candidates for each position of temporary fire chief and temporary paramedic chief. Defines terms. Requires that the Fire Commissioner provide notice of positions to which he or she will be appointing fire chiefs or paramedic chiefs and a list of qualified candidates for each position. Provides that the Fire Commissioner may appoint fire chiefs and paramedic chiefs after receiving recommendations from the advisory board if the candidates meet specified criteria. Provides that the advisory board shall make rules and procedures and that the City of Chicago shall provide administrative and other support to the advisory board. Limits home rule powers. Effective immediately.
LRB101 09137 AWJ 54231 b
FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY HOME RULE NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning local government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that the
positions of fire chief and paramedic chief in the Chicago Fire
Department are positions that require the knowledge and skill
of experienced members of the Chicago Fire Department.
Furthermore, the General Assembly finds that the positions of
fire chief and paramedic chief are positions in which persons
holding the fire chief and paramedic chief rank take command
of, or otherwise give orders to, their subordinates at
potentially dangerous or life-threatening incidents and
activities.
Section 10. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by
adding Section 10-1-7.4 as follows:
(65 ILCS 5/10-1-7.4 new)
Sec. 10-1-7.4. Temporary fire chief and paramedic chief
advisory board.
(a) As used in this Section, "fire chief" or "paramedic
chief" means an individual temporarily appointed by the Fire
Commissioner to have direct supervisory authority over sworn
firefighters, paramedics, or emergency medical technicians of

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the Chicago Fire Department.
(b) A non-binding advisory board is created in the Chicago
Fire Department to recommend to the Fire Commissioner of the
Chicago Fire Department the best candidates for each position
of fire chief or paramedic chief. The advisory board shall be
comprised of 8 members appointed by the Fire Commissioner, or
his or her designee, 4 of whom must be, at the time of
appointment and during all times while serving on the advisory
board: (i) a member of an organization representing the
interest of firefighters and paramedics of the Chicago Fire
Department; and (ii) elected at large by members of that
organization to the organization's executive board. The Fire
Commissioner shall make his or her initial appointments to the
advisory board no later than 60 days after the effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly. The
advisory board shall meet no later than 90 days after the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General
Assembly to elect a chair and vice-chair. Beginning June 1,
2020, and every June 1 thereafter, members shall be appointed
or reappointed to one-year terms and each newly-appointed
advisory board shall meet no later than July 1 of each year to
elect a chair and vice-chair.
(c) The Fire Commissioner shall provide written notice to
the advisory board each time the Fire Commissioner will need to
make an appointment of a fire chief or paramedic chief. The
Fire Commissioner must provide with the written notice to the

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advisory board a list of qualified candidates for each position
that he or she will need to make an appointment. The advisory
board shall meet no later than 30 days after receipt of each
written notice from the Fire Commissioner and shall issue a
recommendation or recommendations to the Fire Commissioner no
later than 15 days after the initial meeting. In order to be
recommended for the position of fire chief or paramedic chief,
5 members of the advisory board must agree to the
recommendation.
(d) The Fire Commissioner may appoint a fire chief or
paramedic chief after the advisory board has issued its
recommendation under subsection (c). An individual appointed
fire chief or paramedic chief by the Fire Commissioner must
meet the following criteria:
(1) is an active member of the Chicago Fire Department
who is not receiving any type of pension from the Firemen's
Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago;
(2) has 10 years of creditable service time with the
Chicago Fire Department;
(3) has held the career service rank of battalion chief
or field chief with the Chicago Fire Department prior to
his or her appointment to the rank of fire chief or
paramedic chief; and
(4) does not exceed the maximum age set forth in the
ordinances of the City of Chicago that govern active sworn
members of the Chicago Fire Department.

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(e) The advisory board shall adopt all necessary rules and
procedures it finds necessary to carry out the process of
recommending qualified candidates. The City of Chicago shall
provide administrative and other support to the advisory board.
(f) The City of Chicago may not regulate the advisory board
or regulate appointments of fire chiefs or paramedic chiefs in
the Chicago Fire Department in a manner inconsistent with this
Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of
Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the
concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and functions
exercised by the State.