VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY WORKERS
HB1353 amends the Illinois Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act to expand workplace protections for volunteer emergency workers. The bill bars public and private employers from not only terminating but also penalizing employees who are volunteer emergency workers because they are late to or absent from work while responding to an emergency before their scheduled shift. It also extends those protections to required training time for volunteer emergency workers.
The bill further prohibits employers from disciplining an employee who responds to an emergency phone call or text message during work hours requesting volunteer emergency services, with an exception for employees of vehicle service providers who are serving as Emergency Medical Services personnel. At the same time, the bill preserves employer authority over existing written workplace policies, collective bargaining agreements, administrative guidelines, and cell phone rules.
HB1353 also clarifies wage and leave rules. Employers may still deduct regular pay for time lost due to emergency response or required training, but they may not require the employee to use vacation or compensatory time for those absences. The bill allows employers to request written verification from a supervisor or acting supervisor of the volunteer fire department or governmental entity confirming the emergency response and the date and time.
The bill expands the civil remedy available to employees by allowing actions not only for termination, but also for penalties or discipline imposed in violation of the Act. It also raises the population threshold for the Act’s municipal exemption, so the law would not apply to employers that are municipalities with populations of 15,000 or more, instead of the prior 7,500 threshold.
Overall, the bill appears aimed at strengthening job protections for volunteer firefighters, EMS personnel, and other volunteer emergency responders. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided material, so no direct evidence of opposition or support is available; however, the structure of the bill suggests a generally pro-volunteer, pro-public-safety policy approach while still preserving some employer and labor-management protections.
HB1353 would amend 50 ILCS 748, the Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act, by broadening the statute’s anti-retaliation provisions, wage rules, documentation requirements, and civil enforcement remedies. It would affect public and private employers statewide, with a revised municipal exemption for municipalities of 15,000 or more population. The bill would also explicitly cover required training time and discipline for responding to emergency calls or texts during work hours, while preserving existing workplace policies and collective bargaining agreements.
Based on the bill text alone, the measure is framed as a protective employment law for volunteer emergency responders and appears to have a favorable policy orientation toward those workers. No committee discussion or vote record was provided, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to report. The absence of recorded opposition or support in the supplied materials means the overall sentiment can only be characterized as likely supportive of volunteer emergency service participation, with attention to employer operational concerns.
The main points of potential contention are the expanded employer restrictions and the bill’s interaction with workplace management. Employers may view the new prohibition on discipline for responding to emergency calls or required training as an added burden, especially because it applies during work hours and extends beyond termination to penalties and discipline. Labor-related concerns are partially addressed by the bill’s preservation of collective bargaining agreements, written workplace policies, and cell phone rules, and by the continued ability to dock pay for missed time. Another possible issue is the increased municipal population threshold, which narrows the Act’s applicability to more municipalities than before.