HB3993 Summary

• Amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act to require arbitration panels to "fully consider" statutory factors when deciding disputes over wages and employment conditions for security employees, peace officers, and firefighters.

• Specifies that the financial ability factor must be based on current tax levels, budget considerations, current budget shortfalls, pension funding obligations, increased benefit costs, and proportionality of past wage increases—explicitly excluding the government's ability to increase tax levels.

• Maintains existing arbitration procedures including mediation timelines (30 days before contract expiration or 15 days notice for initial agreements), panel composition, hearing requirements, and the duty to render decisions within 30 days.

• Preserves limitations on arbitration scope for peace officers and firefighters, including restrictions on residency requirements, equipment specifications, manning levels, and use-of-force policies, except where safety risks exist beyond normal job duties.

• Requires governing bodies to ratify arbitration awards by 3/5 vote within 20 days or accept them automatically; rejected terms return to arbitration with employer paying all supplemental proceeding costs.