Galesburg Reporter

Illinois Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Moline) took to Facebook on June 30 to share an update on bills he had sponsored including SB1750, which was intended to support Illinois first responders and emergency medical technicians with paid training.

"Today, several bills I passed this past spring were signed into law," Anderson wrote in the post, which included a link to a news release on his official website on Senate Bill 1750. The bill intended to create incentives for Illinois fire departments to recruit emergency medical technicians (EMTs). 

The proposal, written by Anderson and Sen. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) would give a tax credit to emergency volunteers. “Our volunteer departments are equally as important as a full-time fire department," Anderson said in the release. "When there is an emergency, response times are critical and if there is nobody to fill the seats on a fire apparatus then it’s a huge public safety concern. I feel this new law is a good first step in either recruiting new volunteer emergency workers or providing a small incentive to the ones who are already willingly answering the call."

Screenshot of Sen. Neil Anderson's Facebook post | Sen. Neil Anderson's Facebook page

SB 1750, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, requires the board of trustees of a fire protection district to reimburse EMT, EMT-I, A-EMT or paramedics who are employed by the district for their training expenses. Halpin first filed SB 1750 on Feb. 9, and it moved to the House on March 30. It was approved and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on June 30. The bill is now known as Public Act 103-0226, according to the Illinois Legislative Assembly data on the bill.

"EMTs and volunteer firefighters are an important part of what keeps our communities safe. This was a concerted effort to give local fire protection districts additional tools that allow them to recruit and retain emergency service workers," Halpin said in the release.

Anderson, himself a firefighter/paramedic in Moline, began serving District 47 in 2015. The district includes part of all of Adams, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, Mason, McDonough, Menard, Mercer, Peoria, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Tazwell, and Warren counties, according to his biography.