Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr., State House of Representatives 86th District. | https://www.illinoispolicy.org/lawmakers/lawrence-walsh-jr/
Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr., State House of Representatives 86th District. | https://www.illinoispolicy.org/lawmakers/lawrence-walsh-jr/
According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that if a full-time firefighter or firefighter/paramedic employed by a city, village, incorporated town, or township that meets certain requirements is not eligible to participate in a retirement fund created under the Downstate Firefighters Article of the Code, then he or she is eligible to participate, as a sheriff's law enforcement employee, under the IMRF Article of the Code. Specifies survivor and occupational disease disability benefits that are available to the qualifying firefighters. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately."
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill amends the Illinois Pension Code to allow full-time firefighters or firefighter/paramedics employed by certain small municipalities, who are otherwise not eligible for a retirement fund under the Downstate Firefighters Article, to participate as sheriff's law enforcement employees in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). It establishes the availability of survivor and occupational disease disability benefits for qualifying firefighters. The bill also amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without state reimbursement and takes effect immediately upon becoming law.
Lawrence "Larry" Walsh, Jr. has proposed another five bills since the beginning of the 104th session.
Lawrence "Larry" Waslh Jr. is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 86th House District. He replaced previous state representative Jack McGuire in 2012.
Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.
You can read more about bills and other measures here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB1307 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that if a full-time firefighter or firefighter/paramedic employed by a city, village, incorporated town, or township that meets certain requirements is not eligible to participate in a retirement fund created under the Downstate Firefighters Article of the Code, then he or she is eligible to participate, as a sheriff's law enforcement employee, under the IMRF Article of the Code. Specifies survivor and occupational disease disability benefits that are available to the qualifying firefighters. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately. |
| HB1296 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Fire Department Promotion Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions. |
| HB1297 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning downstate firefighters. |
| HB1298 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Fire Department Promotion Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning definitions. |
| HB1299 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning downstate firefighters. |
| HB1300 | 01/13/2025 | Amends the Fire Protection District Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning annexation of territory. |
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