From the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois:

March 17, 2008

The Illinois General Assembly deadline for moving all but appropriations legislation out of committee was March 14. Committee deadline week has historically been the busiest week of the legislative calendar for your AFFI Legislative Committee. Our agenda work calendar was packed with issues important to all our members.  We are pleased to report that the week was ultimately productive and successful.

As you already should know, the Illinois Municipal League has launched a full frontal assault on downstate police and fire retirement plans.  The IML has alleged the Illinois General Assembly has been doling out overly generous pension benefits and accused the fire unions of being greedy.  The IML knows full well this is not true.  Major changes to our retirement plans occurred in 1999 and 2004, and both were results of years of negotiations with the AFFI and the IML. Furthermore, both agreements contained an increase in the employee contribution. Just take a quick peek at a part of the IML’s website and all the listed negative newspaper articles from throughout the State as an example of their negative public relations agenda. As part of this attack on our retirement plan, the IML introduced HB 4904, 4905, and SB 2090. These bills contain the IML’s eight and nine point pension reform plans.

Approximately a month ago, we requested and hosted a meeting with the IML to discuss their concerns with our retirement plan. Shortly after, we introduced our retirement security plan with language contained in HB 4891 sponsored by Representative Lisa Dugan. The original bill removed the investment caps and restrictions on downstate fire pensions that were last expanded in 1999. The AFFI also drafted an amendment to add some agreed concepts found in HB 4904.  Our package aims to address inflation in unfunded liabilities in some of our local funds.  Our legislation also restricts a municipality’s ability to hire its own actuary, and use unreasonable assumptions when requesting their annual levy for our funds.

Since that meeting in our office, Speaker Madigan’s House staff has fostered and mediated ongoing negotiations with the AFFI, IML, multiple police groups, and state agencies. We have met numerous times during the past few weeks and will continue to meet throughout the remainder of the legislative session..

One aspect of the IML’s agenda that we reject is its request for the “right to intervene” as a party of interest in disability and retirement hearings. This issue is a part of the IML’s reform package, and also is a stand-alone piece of legislation in HB 5514. Several court decisions have affirmed that local pension boards may grant a municipality the right to become a party to a hearing but allows that it is not mandatory. The AFFI agrees with the courts, and we’re also reminded that each pension board is respectfully represented by management, with two members appointed to the board by the Mayor, Village President, or President of the Board of Trustees of the Fire District. The AFFI Legislative Committee succeeded in holding  this bill in the House Personnel and Pensions Committee. The issue remains on the table and will be discussed with the ongoing reform negotiations.

The AFFI was successful in moving some of our legislative proposals out of committee and onto the floors of the House and Senate for their full consideration. Some of the bills are:

HB 4854 is being sponsored by Representative Mike Bost. First, this bill amends the Illinois Municipal Code to provide that a fire department foreign fire insurance board in a municipality with fewer than 500,000 (now, 250,000) inhabitants shall have 7 trustees, including the fire chief and 6 members of the fire department (now, the Board is established by ordinances of the corporate authorities). It also provides for an annual election of board officers and that the annual municipal audit shall include funds appropriated to the board and shall determine whether the funds have been expended by the board only for the maintenance, use, and benefit of the department. The bill also amends the Fire Protection District Act to provide that in each fire protection district that has an organized fire department, there shall be a foreign fire insurance board. The bill states that the board shall have 7 trustees, including the fire chief and 6 members of the fire department and those officers shall be elected annually. It authorizes the board to make rules and states that the treasurer must give a bond to the board. Pat Devaney, Central District Legislative Representative, testified on behalf of our bill and the Illinois Fire Protection District Association testified against the bill. Some of the members of the House Local Government Committee asked us to work with the Illinois Fire Protection District Association on this important piece of legislation.

HB 4931 is being sponsored by Representative Brandon Phelps. The bill amends the Illinois Municipal Code to provide that a payment that is required to be made by every out-of-state corporation, company, and association that is engaged in effecting fire insurance in a municipality must be paid to the foreign fire insurance board instead of the municipality.

HB 5124 is being sponsored by Representative Lou Lang. The bill amends the Illinois Insurance Code to change the definition of "retirement or disability period" to include the period when the disabled or retired firefighter, if not currently enrolled in the municipal group insurance plan at the time of disability or retirement, may elect to enroll in the municipal group insurance plan during an open enrollment period. We are working with the IML and the sponsor to possibly amend the bill to work on constructive language. Southern District Legislative Representative Richard Martin testified before the House Insurance Committee on this legislative initiative.

SB 2070 is being sponsored by Senator Mike Jacobs. This bill is an agreed bill between the AFFI and the Illinois Fire Chiefs. This bill amends the Fire Department Promotion Act with respect to the subjective evaluation of candidates for promotion, sets up a procedure for the parties to select impartial qualified professionals as promotional assessors from a roster established by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Northern District Legislative Representative Eddy Crews testified before the Senate Labor Committee on behalf of this bill.

The AFFI Legislative Committee is preparing for our annual “Fran Gambro” Legislative Conference, to be held April 7-9, 2008.  We are preparing data for distribution to you, and the “issues in brief” will be located in the “member’s resource” section of our webpage soon. If you haven’t registered on the webpage yet, we encourage you to do.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of your AFFI Legislative Committee members.

Please stay safe our there, brothers and sisters.

Fraternally,

YOUR AFFI Legislative Committee, Fire Fighters Representing Fire Fighters,

Eddy Crews
Northern District Legislative Representative
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois

Pat Devaney
Central District Legislative Representative
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois

Richard Martin
Southern District Legislative Representative
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois

Rick Merrill
President
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois