Sen. John M. Sullivan

Filed: 3/28/2006

 

 


 

 


 
09400SB0842sam001 LRB094 04470 HLH 57749 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 842

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 842 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Fire Protection District Act is amended by
5 changing Section 22 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
8 district incorporated under this Act is authorized under the
9 terms and conditions hereinafter set out, to provide emergency
10 ambulance service to or from points within or without the
11 district; to contract with providers of ambulance service; to
12 combine with other units of governments for the purpose of
13 providing ambulance service; to levy a tax for the provision of
14 such service and to adopt rules and regulations relating to
15 ambulance service within their jurisdiction.
16     (a) It is declared as a matter of public policy:
17         (1) That, in order to preserve, protect and promote the
18     public health, safety and general welfare, adequate and
19     continuing emergency ambulance service should be available
20     to every citizen of Illinois;
21         (2) That, insofar as it is economically feasible,
22     emergency ambulance service should be provided by private
23     enterprise; and
24         (3) That, in the event adequate and continuing

 

 

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1     emergency ambulance services do not exist, fire protection
2     districts should be authorized to provide, and shall cause
3     to be provided, ambulance service as a public
4     responsibility.
5     (b) Whenever the Board of Trustees of a fire protection
6 district desires to levy a special tax to provide an ambulance
7 service, it shall certify the question to the proper election
8 officials, who shall submit that question at an election to the
9 voters of the district. The result of such referendum shall be
10 entered upon the records of the district. If a majority of the
11 votes on the proposition are in favor of such proposition, the
12 Board of Trustees may thereafter levy a special tax at a rate
13 not to exceed .30% of the value of all taxable property within
14 the district as equalized or assessed by the Department of
15 Revenue. The proposition shall be in substantially the
16 following form:
17 -------------------------------------------------------------
18     Shall the .... Fire Protection
19  District levy  a special tax at a rate     YES
20  not to exceed .30% of the value of all
21  taxable property within the district as --------------------
22  equalized or assessed by the Department
23  of Revenue for the purpose of providing    NO
24  an ambulance service?
25 -------------------------------------------------------------
26     (c) If it appears that a majority of all valid votes cast
27 on the proposition are in favor of levying a special tax to pay
28 for an ambulance, the Board of Trustees may levy and collect an
29 annual tax for the purpose of providing ambulance service under
30 this Act to be extended at a rate not to exceed .30% of the full
31 fair cash value of the taxable property within the governmental
32 unit as assessed or equalized by the Department of Revenue.
33 Such annual tax shall be in addition to the other taxes a fire
34 protection district may levy for its corporate purposes.

 

 

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1     (d) Any Board of trustees may:
2         1. Provide or operate an emergency ambulance service;
3         2. Contract with a private person, hospital,
4     corporation or another governmental unit for the provision
5     and operation of emergency ambulance service or subsidize
6     the service thereof;
7         3. Limit the number of ambulance services;
8         4. Within its jurisdiction, fix, charge and collect
9     fees for emergency ambulance service within or outside of
10     the fire protection district not exceeding the reasonable
11     cost of the service;
12         5. Establish necessary regulations not inconsistent
13     with the statutes or regulations of the Department of
14     Public Health relating to ambulance service;
15         6. The trustees shall have the power identified in
16     paragraphs 3 and 5 only if the district shall have passed
17     the referendum provided for herein.
18     (e) When any Board of Trustees is authorized prior to
19 January 1, 1978 to levy and collect an annual tax, for the
20 purpose of providing ambulance service, at any rate not
21 exceeding .25% of the full fair cash value of the taxable
22 property within the governmental unit as equalized or assessed
23 by the Department of Revenue, such Board of Trustees may by
24 resolution increase its authority to tax for ambulance purposes
25 to a rate not to exceed .30%. Such resolution shall be
26 effective 30 days after its adoption. Notice of such resolution
27 shall be published twice in a newspaper having a general
28 circulation within the district at least 20 days and again at
29 least 10 days prior to the effective date of the resolution.
30 Such notice shall state that the voters of that fire protection
31 district, which district shall be described in the notice, have
32 until 30 days after the adoption of the resolution to file a
33 petition with the Board of Trustees praying that the question
34 of the adoption of the resolution be submitted to a vote of the

 

 

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1 electors of such territory, and that, if no such petition is
2 filed, the resolution shall become effective 30 days after its
3 adoption. The notice also shall state the specific number of
4 voters required to sign the petition and the date of the
5 prospective referendum. The district secretary shall provide a
6 petition form to any individual requesting one. If such a
7 petition, signed by the voters of the district equal to 10% or
8 more of the registered voters of the district, is so filed with
9 the Board of Trustees, then the question of the adoption of the
10 resolution shall be certified to the proper election officials,
11 who shall submit the question to a vote of the electors of the
12 district at an election in accordance with the general election
13 law. If such a petition is filed, the resolution does not take
14 effect unless a majority of the votes cast upon the question of
15 the adoption of the resolution is in favor of adoption.
16 However, if such a petition is determined to be invalid, the
17 resolution shall take effect.
18     The result of the election shall be entered upon the
19 records of the district. If a majority of the voters vote in
20 favor of such resolution, the resolution shall be effective
21 immediately. The proposition shall be in substantially the
22 following form:
23 -------------------------------------------------------------
24     Shall the Board of Trustees of
25 the .... Fire Protection District               YES
26 be authorized to increase the
27 special  tax for ambulance service
28 to a rate  not to exceed .30% of           ------------------
29 the value of all taxable property
30 within the district as equalized or
31 assessed by the Department of Revenue           NO
32 for the purpose of providing such service?
33 -------------------------------------------------------------
34     In this Section, "ambulance service" includes, without

 

 

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1 limitation, medical service. This amendatory Act of the 94th
2 General Assembly is declarative of existing law.
3 (Source: P.A. 86-1253; 87-767.)".