Illinois Rep. Schweizer’s volunteer emergency worker protections bill passes House and Senate

Newly passed bill authored by State Rep. Brandun Schweizer aims to strengthen employment protections for volunteer emergency workers by expanding safeguards related to training participation and emergency response, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 69 Democrats and 33 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 40 Democrats and 18 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Schweizer introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Jan. 14, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB1353, was passed on May 19, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act. Provides that employment protections for volunteer emergency workers apply to volunteer emergency workers participating in required training, including a prohibition on termination and penalizing (rather than only termination). Provides that the employer may not require the employee to take vacation time or other compensatory time in order to respond to an emergency or participate in training. Provides that the Act does not apply to any employer that is a municipality with a population of 15,000 or more (currently 7,500 or more). Makes conforming changes.”

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 Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act by expanding employment protections for volunteer emergency workers to include participation in required training, prohibiting termination and any form of penalization. It also prevents employers from mandating that these workers use vacation or compensatory time to respond to emergencies or attend training. Employers with a workforce in municipalities with populations of 15,000 or more are exempt from this Act. Additionally, workers can be charged against their regular pay for any time lost due to their volunteer duties, but they must notify employers if they expect to be absent or late. If terminated or penalized, employees have the right to file a civil lawsuit for reinstatement, back wages, and other benefits within a year of the violation.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Amy L. Grant (Republican-47th District), Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (Democrat-22nd District), and Rep. Anthony DeLuca (Democrat-80th District), along with 35 other sponsors.

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.

Schweizer, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 104th House District, replacing previous state representative Mike Marron.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.