HB1709eng 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1709 Engrossed LRB097 05065 KMW 45106 b

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Fire Department Promotion Act is amended by changing Section 50 as follows:

(50 ILCS 742/50)

Sec. 50. Subjective evaluation.

(a) A promotion test may include subjective evaluation components. Subjective evaluations may include an oral interview, tactical evaluation, performance evaluation, or other component based on subjective evaluation of the examinee. The methods used for subjective evaluations may include using any employee assessment centers, evaluation systems, chief's points, or other methods.

(b) Any subjective component shall be identified to all candidates prior to its application, be job-related, and be applied uniformly to all candidates. Every examinee shall have the right to documentation of his or her score on the subjective component upon the completion of the subjective examination component or its application. A designated representative of the contracting union party shall be notified and be entitled to be present to monitor any preliminary meeting between certified assessors or representatives of a testing agency and representatives of the appointing authority held prior to the administration of the test to candidates for promotion.

(c) Where chief's points or other subjective methods are employed that are not amenable to monitoring, monitors shall not be required, but any disputes as to the results of such methods shall be subject to resolution in accordance with any collectively bargained grievance procedure in effect at the time of the test.

(d) Where performance evaluations are used as a basis for promotions, they shall be given annually and made readily available to each candidate for review and they shall include any disagreement or documentation the employee provides to refute or contest the evaluation. These annual evaluations are not subject to grievance procedures, unless used for points in the promotion process.

(e) Total points awarded for subjective components shall be posted before the written examination is administered and before the promotion list is compiled.

(f) Persons selected to grade candidates for promotion during an assessment center process shall be impartial professionals who have undergone training to be certified assessors. The training and certification requirements shall, at a minimum, provide that, to obtain and maintain certification, assessors shall complete a course of basic training, subscribe to a code of ethical conduct, complete continuing education, and satisfy minimum activity levels.

(g) The standards for certification shall be established by a Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC) composed of 4 members: 2 designated by a statewide association whose membership is predominantly fire chiefs representing management interests of the Illinois fire service, and 2 designated by a statewide labor organization that is a representative of sworn or commissioned firefighters in Illinois. Members may serve terms of one year subject to reappointment.

For the purposes of this Section, the term "statewide labor organization" has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 10-3-12 of the Illinois Municipal Code.

In developing certification standards the JLMC may seek the advice and counsel of professionals and experts and may appoint an advisory committee.

The JLMC may charge reasonable fees that are related to the costs of administering authorized programs and conducting classes, including without limitation the costs of monitoring programs and classes, to the following: (i) applicants for certifications or recertifications, (ii) recipients of certifications or recertifications, and (iii) individuals and entities approved by the JLMC to conduct programs or classes.

The JLMC's initial certification standards shall be submitted to the Office of the State Fire Marshal by January 1, 2009. The JLMC may provisionally certify persons who have prior experience as assessors on promotional examinations in the fire service. Effective January 1, 2010 only those persons who meet the certification standards developed by the JLMC and submitted to the Office of the State Fire Marshal may be selected to grade candidates on a subjective component of a promotional examination conducted under the authority of this Act; provided this requirement shall be waived for persons employed or appointed by the jurisdiction administering the examination.

The JLMC shall annually:

(1) issue public notice offering persons who are interested in qualifying as certified assessors the opportunity to enroll in training; and

(2) submit to the Office of the State Fire Marshal an amended list of persons who remain certified, are newly certified, or who are no longer certified.

(h) The Office of the State Fire Marshal shall support the program by adopting certification standards based on those submitted by the JLMC and by establishing a roster of certified assessors composed of persons certified by the JLMC.

If the parties have not agreed to contract with a particular testing company to provide certified assessors, either party may request the Office to provide the names of certified assessors. Within 7 days after receiving a request from either party for a list of certified assessors, the Office shall select at random from the roster of certified assessors a panel numbering not less than 2 times the number of assessors required. The parties shall augment the number by a factor of 50% by designating assessors who may serve as alternates to the primary assessors.

The parties shall select assessors from the list or lists provided by the Office or from the panel obtained by the testing company as provided above. Within 7 days following the receipt of the list, the parties shall notify the Office of the assessors they have selected. Unless the parties agree on an alternate selection procedure, they shall alternatively strike names from the list provided by the Office until only the number of required assessors remain. A coin toss shall determine which party strikes the first name. If the parties fail to notify the Office in a timely manner of their selection of assessors, the Office shall appoint the assessors required from the roster of certified assessors. In the event an assessor is not able to participate in the assessment center process for which he was selected, either of the parties involved in the promotion process may request that additional names of certified assessors be provided by the Office.

(Source: P.A. 95-956, eff. 8-29-08.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.