Rep. Mary Beth Canty

Filed: 4/1/2024

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB4359ham001LRB103 35352 AWJ 71334 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4359

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4359 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Fire Protection District Act is amended by
5changing Sections 22 and 24 as follows:
 
6    (70 ILCS 705/22)  (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 38.5)
7    Sec. 22. The Board of Trustees of any fire protection
8district incorporated under this Act is authorized under the
9terms and conditions hereinafter set out, to provide emergency
10ambulance service to or from points within or without the
11district; to contract with providers of ambulance service; to
12combine with other units of governments for the purpose of
13providing ambulance service; to levy a tax for the provision
14of such service and to adopt rules and regulations relating to
15ambulance service within their jurisdiction.
16    (a) It is declared as a matter of public policy:

 

 

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1        (1) That, in order to preserve, protect and promote
2    the public health, safety and general welfare, adequate
3    and continuing emergency ambulance service should be
4    available to every citizen of Illinois;
5        (2) That, insofar as it is economically feasible,
6    emergency ambulance service should be provided by private
7    enterprise; and
8        (3) That, in the event adequate and continuing
9    emergency ambulance services do not exist, fire protection
10    districts should be authorized to provide, and shall cause
11    to be provided, ambulance service as a public
12    responsibility.
13    (b) Whenever the Board of Trustees of a fire protection
14district desires to levy a special tax to provide an ambulance
15service, it shall certify the question to the proper election
16officials, who shall submit that question at an election to
17the voters of the district. The result of such referendum
18shall be entered upon the records of the district. If a
19majority of the votes on the proposition are in favor of such
20proposition, the Board of Trustees may thereafter levy a
21special tax at a rate not to exceed .30% of the value of all
22taxable property within the district as equalized or assessed
23by the Department of Revenue. The proposition shall be in
24substantially the following form:
25----------------------------
26    Shall the .... Fire Protection

 

 

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1 District levy  a special tax at a rate     YES
2 not to exceed .30% of the value of all
3 taxable property within the district as --------------------
4 equalized or assessed by the Department
5 of Revenue for the purpose of providing    NO
6 an ambulance service?
7-------------------------------------------------------------
8    (b-5) On and after the effective date of this amendatory
9Act of the 98th General Assembly, whenever the Board of
10Trustees of a fire protection district desires to levy a
11special tax to provide an ambulance service, it shall certify
12the question to the proper election officials, who shall
13submit that question at an election to the voters of the
14district. The result of such referendum shall be entered upon
15the records of the district. If a majority of the votes on the
16proposition are in favor of such proposition, the Board of
17Trustees may thereafter levy a special tax at a rate not to
18exceed .40% of the value of all taxable property within the
19district as equalized or assessed by the Department of
20Revenue. The proposition shall be in substantially the
21following form:
22----------------------------------------------
23    Shall the .... Fire Protection
24District levy  a special tax at a rate     YES
25not to exceed .40% of the value of all
26taxable property within the district as ---------------------

 

 

10300HB4359ham001- 4 -LRB103 35352 AWJ 71334 a

1equalized or assessed by the Department
2of Revenue for the purpose of providing    NO
3an ambulance service?
4------------------------------------------------------------- 
5    (c) If it appears that a majority of all valid votes cast
6on the proposition are in favor of levying a special tax to pay
7for an ambulance, the Board of Trustees may levy and collect an
8annual tax for the purpose of providing ambulance service
9under this Act to be extended at a rate not to exceed .40% of
10the full fair cash value of the taxable property within the
11governmental unit as assessed or equalized by the Department
12of Revenue. Such annual tax shall be in addition to the other
13taxes a fire protection district may levy for its corporate
14purposes.
15    (d) Any Board of trustees may:
16        1. Provide or operate an emergency ambulance service;
17        2. Contract with a private person, hospital,
18    corporation or another governmental unit for the provision
19    and operation of emergency ambulance service or subsidize
20    the service thereof;
21        3. Limit the number of ambulance services;
22        4. Within its jurisdiction, fix, charge and collect
23    fees for emergency ambulance service within or outside of
24    the fire protection district not exceeding the reasonable
25    cost of the service;
26        5. Establish necessary regulations not inconsistent

 

 

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1    with the statutes or regulations of the Department of
2    Public Health relating to ambulance service;
3        6. The trustees shall have the power identified in
4    paragraphs 3 and 5 only if the district shall have passed
5    the referendum provided for herein.
6    (e) When any Board of Trustees is authorized prior to
7January 1, 1978 to levy and collect an annual tax, for the
8purpose of providing ambulance service, at any rate not
9exceeding .25% of the full fair cash value of the taxable
10property within the governmental unit as equalized or assessed
11by the Department of Revenue, such Board of Trustees may by
12resolution increase its authority to tax for ambulance
13purposes to a rate not to exceed .30%. Such resolution shall be
14effective 30 days after its adoption. Notice of such
15resolution shall be published twice in a newspaper having a
16general circulation within the district at least 20 days and
17again at least 10 days prior to the effective date of the
18resolution. Such notice shall state that the voters of that
19fire protection district, which district shall be described in
20the notice, have until 30 days after the adoption of the
21resolution to file a petition with the Board of Trustees
22praying that the question of the adoption of the resolution be
23submitted to a vote of the electors of such territory, and
24that, if no such petition is filed, the resolution shall
25become effective 30 days after its adoption. The notice also
26shall state the specific number of voters required to sign the

 

 

10300HB4359ham001- 6 -LRB103 35352 AWJ 71334 a

1petition and the date of the prospective referendum. The
2district secretary shall provide a petition form to any
3individual requesting one. If such a petition, signed by the
4voters of the district equal to 10% or more of the registered
5voters of the district, is so filed with the Board of Trustees,
6then the question of the adoption of the resolution shall be
7certified to the proper election officials, who shall submit
8the question to a vote of the electors of the district at an
9election in accordance with the general election law. If such
10a petition is filed, the resolution does not take effect
11unless a majority of the votes cast upon the question of the
12adoption of the resolution is in favor of adoption. However,
13if such a petition is determined to be invalid, the resolution
14shall take effect.
15    The result of the election shall be entered upon the
16records of the district. If a majority of the voters vote in
17favor of such resolution, the resolution shall be effective
18immediately. The proposition shall be in substantially the
19following form:
20----------------------------------------------
21    Shall the Board of Trustees of
22the .... Fire Protection District               YES
23be authorized to increase the
24special  tax for ambulance service
25to a rate  not to exceed .30% of           ------------------
26the value of all taxable property

 

 

10300HB4359ham001- 7 -LRB103 35352 AWJ 71334 a

1within the district as equalized or
2assessed by the Department of Revenue           NO
3for the purpose of providing such service?
4-------------------------------------------------------------
5    (f) The Board of Trustees may accumulate funds in its
6ambulance fund for the purposes of acquiring, building, or
7maintaining real property, procuring emergency medical service
8vehicles or equipment, or training to provide essential
9emergency medical services to the community.
10    (g) In this Section, "ambulance service" includes, without
11limitation, pre-hospital medical services. "Pre-hospital
12medical services" includes emergency services performed by a
13paramedic or other on-board emergency personnel that are
14within the scope of the provider's license. This amendatory
15Act of the 95th General Assembly is declarative of existing
16law.
17(Source: P.A. 98-319, eff. 8-12-13.)
 
18    (70 ILCS 705/24)  (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 38.7)
19    Sec. 24. (a) In addition to any other tax authorized by
20law, the board of trustees of a fire protection district may,
21subject to the requirements of subsections (b) and (c), by
22ordinance levy a special annual tax at a rate not exceeding
230.10% of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department
24of Revenue, of all taxable property within the district, for
25the purpose of obtaining funds to pay for the costs of

 

 

10300HB4359ham001- 8 -LRB103 35352 AWJ 71334 a

1emergency and rescue crews and equipment.
2    (b) Whenever the board of trustees of a fire protection
3district desires to levy a special tax under this Section, it
4shall certify the question to the proper election officials,
5who shall submit that question at an election to the voters of
6the district in accordance with the general election law. The
7result of such referendum shall be entered upon the records of
8the district. If a majority of the votes on the proposition are
9in favor of such proposition, the board of trustees may
10thereafter levy a special tax under this Section at a rate not
11to exceed 0.05% of the value of all taxable property within the
12district as equalized or assessed by the Department of
13Revenue. The proposition shall be in substantially the
14following form:
15----------------------------------------------
16    Shall the ....... Fire Protection
17District levy a special tax at a rate
18not to exceed 0.05%  of the value of           YES
19all taxable property within the
20district as equalized or assessed       ---------------------
21by the Department of Revenue for
22the purpose of providing funds               NO
23to pay for the costs of emergency
24and rescue crews and equipment?
25-------------------------------------------------------------
26    (c) Whenever the board of trustees of a fire protection

 

 

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1district desires to levy a special tax under this Section at a
2rate not to exceed 0.10% of the value of all taxable property
3within the district as equalized or assessed by the Department
4of Revenue, it shall certify the question to the proper
5election officials, who shall submit that question at an
6election to the voters of the district in accordance with the
7general election law. The result of such referendum shall be
8entered upon the records of the district. If a majority of the
9votes on the proposition are in favor of such proposition, the
10board of trustees may thereafter levy a special tax under this
11Section at a rate not to exceed 0.10% of the value of all
12taxable property within the district as equalized or assessed
13by the Department of Revenue. The proposition shall be in
14substantially the following form:
15---------------------------
16    Shall the ......... Fire
17Protection  District levy a            YES
18special tax at a rate not to
19exceed 0.10% of the value of
20all taxable property within the    --------------------------
21district as equalized or assessed
22by the Department of Revenue
23for the purpose of providing funds      NO
24to pay for the costs of emergency
25and rescue crews and equipment?
26-------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

10300HB4359ham001- 10 -LRB103 35352 AWJ 71334 a

1    (d) The board of trustees may accumulate funds in its
2emergency and rescue fund for the purposes of acquiring,
3building, or maintaining real property for emergency and
4rescue purposes, procuring emergency rescue crews and
5equipment, or training to provide essential rescue,
6specialized rescue, and technical rescue services to the
7community.
8(Source: P.A. 99-4, eff. 5-31-15; 100-348, eff. 1-1-18.)".