IL HB1307

Full-time firefighters and firefighter/paramedics employed by municipalities with populations under 5,000 in counties over 1,000,000 inhabitants, with 40+ full-time paid firefighters under collective bargaining, can participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) as sheriff's law enforcement employees if ineligible for the Downstate Firefighters pension fund

Firefighters employed before January 1, 2011 who become IMRF participants under this provision are exempt from Tier 2 pension restrictions including the $106,800 earnings cap, reduced annual increases, and modified survivor benefit calculations

Qualifying firefighters with 5+ years of service are entitled to occupational disease disability benefits (65% of salary or earned retirement pension, whichever is greater) for heart disease, stroke, tuberculosis, lung diseases, or qualifying cancers resulting from firefighting service

Surviving spouses of qualifying firefighters who die in the line of duty on or after January 1, 1988 are entitled to pension benefits of at least 100% of the deceased firefighter's salary at their last day of service

The State Mandates Act is amended to require local implementation without state reimbursement, and the bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law