HB2854 Summary

• Amends the Illinois Municipal Code and Fire Protection District Act to establish a new apprentice preference category for firefighter hiring, allowing up to 20 preference points for candidates who complete 600 hours of fire suppression work over 12 months through a Joint Apprenticeship Committee program.

• Apprentice preference points can be awarded in addition to other preference points (10-30 points total) and may be applied to final eligibility registers after certification by the Joint Apprenticeship Committee, allowing rank adjustments on hiring lists.

• Changes language in non-home rule municipality sections to make certain hiring procedures discretionary rather than mandatory for commissions, particularly regarding preference point awards and eligibility register establishment.

• Corrects statutory references to apprenticeship program sections (10-1-14, 10-2.1-4, and 16.06) and makes technical corrections to spell "prerequisites" consistently throughout the sections governing firefighter examinations and qualifications.

• Applies to municipalities and fire protection districts with populations under 1,000,000 and takes effect upon becoming law.