An Illinois Supreme Court ruling has united two groups that often are at odds when it comes to legislation pending at the Statehouse.
The Illinois Municipal League and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, the state’s largest firefighters union, are backing a bill they say would shield local governments and public safety employees from being sued over the way they prioritize services.
“In these unusual times at the state Capitol, I think this is a good example where divergent interests can come together in support of something that really is common sense,” said Pat Devaney, president of the Associated Fire Fighters. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. James Clayborne, D-Belleville, would codify the “public duty rule” that the Supreme Court struck down in January. The longstanding rule held that units of government and their employees have a duty to protect the well-being of the community as a whole rather than that of individual people.
The Supreme Court’s decision came in a case involving the 2008 death of Coretta Coleman in unincorporated Will County.