Bill Text: IL SB3354 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends the Counties Code. Provides that a deputy sheriff applicant who is a veteran and who was discharged honorably or generally under honorable conditions no later than 6 months before applying may request examination to occur before the next scheduled examination date and, if requested, may be examined as soon as possible prior to the next examination date following receipt of the application. Provides that, once the applicant passes the examination and all other requirements to be on an eligibility list, the applicant shall be immediately placed on the eligibility list. Provides that nothing in the provisions waives eligibility for the applicant to receive military preference points during the application process or employment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-07 - Referred to Assignments [SB3354 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB3354-Introduced.html

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB3354

Introduced 2/7/2024, by Sen. Linda Holmes

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
55 ILCS 5/3-6008.5 new
55 ILCS 5/3-7008 from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008
55 ILCS 5/3-8010 from Ch. 34, par. 3-8010

Amends the Counties Code. Provides that a deputy sheriff applicant who is a veteran and who was discharged honorably or generally under honorable conditions no later than 6 months before applying may request examination to occur before the next scheduled examination date and, if requested, may be examined as soon as possible prior to the next examination date following receipt of the application. Provides that, once the applicant passes the examination and all other requirements to be on an eligibility list, the applicant shall be immediately placed on the eligibility list. Provides that nothing in the provisions waives eligibility for the applicant to receive military preference points during the application process or employment.
LRB103 38395 AWJ 68530 b

A BILL FOR

SB3354LRB103 38395 AWJ 68530 b
1 AN ACT concerning local government.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing
5Sections 3-7008 and 3-8010 and by adding Section 3-6008.5 as
6follows:
7 (55 ILCS 5/3-6008.5 new)
8 Sec. 3-6008.5. Veteran testing. An applicant who is a
9veteran, as that term is defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), who was
10discharged honorably or generally under honorable conditions
11no later than 6 months before applying may request examination
12to occur before the next scheduled examination date and, if
13requested, may be examined as soon as possible prior to the
14next examination date following receipt of the application.
15Once the applicant passes the examination and all other
16requirements to be on an eligibility list, the applicant shall
17be immediately placed on the eligibility list. Nothing in this
18Section waives eligibility for the applicant to receive
19military preference points during the application process or
20employment.
21 (55 ILCS 5/3-7008) (from Ch. 34, par. 3-7008)
22 Sec. 3-7008. Appointments. The appointment of deputy

SB3354- 2 -LRB103 38395 AWJ 68530 b
1sheriffs in the Police Department, full-time deputy sheriffs
2not employed as county police officers or county corrections
3officers and of employees in the Department of Corrections
4shall be made from those applicants who have been certified by
5the Board as being qualified for appointment. Certification
6for appointment in one department shall not constitute
7certification for appointment in another department.
8Certification may be made at any point prior to appointment
9and may be made in conjunction with the Sheriff's application
10process. All persons so appointed shall, at the time of their
11appointment, be not less than 21 years of age, or 20 years of
12age and have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement
13studies at an accredited college or university. Any person
14appointed subsequent to successful completion of 2 years of
15such law enforcement studies shall not have power of arrest,
16nor shall he or she be permitted to carry firearms, until he or
17she reaches 21 years of age. Any person appointed shall be a
18citizen of the United States, an individual who is legally
19authorized to work in the United States under federal law and
20is authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase
21or otherwise possess a firearm, or an individual against whom
22immigration action has been deferred by the U.S. Citizenship
23and Immigration Services under the federal Deferred Action for
24Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process and who is authorized under
25federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess
26a firearm. In addition, all persons so appointed shall be not

SB3354- 3 -LRB103 38395 AWJ 68530 b
1more than the maximum age limit fixed by the Board from time to
2time, be of sound mind and body, be of good moral character,
3have not been convicted of a crime which the Board considers to
4be detrimental to the applicant's ability to carry out his or
5her duties, possess such prerequisites of training, education
6and experience as the Board may from time to time prescribe,
7and shall be required to pass successfully mental, physical,
8psychiatric and other tests and examinations as may be
9prescribed by the Board. Preference shall be given in such
10appointments to persons who have honorably served in the
11military or naval services of the United States. All
12appointees shall serve a probationary period of 12 months and
13during that period may be discharged at the will of the
14Sheriff. However, civil service employees of the house of
15correction who have certified status at the time of the
16transfer of the house of correction to the County Department
17of Corrections are not subject to this probationary period,
18and they shall retain their job titles, such tenure privileges
19as are now enjoyed and any subsequent title changes shall not
20cause reduction in rank or elimination of positions.
21 An applicant who is a veteran, as that term is defined in
2238 U.S.C. 101(2), who was discharged honorably or generally
23under honorable conditions no later than 6 months before
24applying may request examination to occur before the next
25scheduled examination date and, if requested, may be examined
26as soon as possible prior to the next examination date

SB3354- 4 -LRB103 38395 AWJ 68530 b
1following receipt of the application. Once the applicant
2passes the examination and all other requirements to be on an
3eligibility list, the applicant shall be immediately placed on
4the eligibility list. Nothing in this paragraph waives
5eligibility for the applicant to receive military preference
6points during the application process or employment.
7(Source: P.A. 103-357, eff. 1-1-24.)
8 (55 ILCS 5/3-8010) (from Ch. 34, par. 3-8010)
9 Sec. 3-8010. Certification of applicants. The appointment
10of all personnel subject to the jurisdiction of the Merit
11Commission shall be made by the sheriff from those applicants
12who have been certified by the Commission as being qualified
13for appointment. A Commission may, by its rules and
14regulations, set forth the minimum requirements for
15appointment to any position. In addition, the Commission's
16review of any application may include examinations,
17investigations or any other method consistent with recognized
18merit principles, which in the judgment of the Commission is
19reasonable and practical for any particular classification.
20Different examining procedures may be set for the examinations
21in different classifications but all examinations in the same
22classification shall be uniform. However, the Merit Commission
23may by regulation provide that applicants who have served with
24another sheriff's office, a police department, or any other
25law enforcement agency, or who are graduate law enforcement

SB3354- 5 -LRB103 38395 AWJ 68530 b
feedback