August 27, 2018

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois Senate

100th General Assembly:

Today I veto Senate Bill 2619 from the 100th General Assembly, which mandates that home rule communities comply with increased eligibility criteria for the appointment of a fire chief, acting chief, the department head, or other positions responsible for day-to-day operations of a fire department.

This bill would preempt home rule authority and mandate the use of eligibility criteria for the appointment of a municipal department head. While local governments might value the type of experience and training this bill would require, it would force them to exclude qualified candidates coming from different backgrounds including leaders from other public safety disciplines.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2619, entitled “AN ACT concerning local government,” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR