SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House has passed a bill sponsored by State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) which would require institutions of higher learning to create a policy for awarding academic credit for training conducted as a firefighter.
The legislation is House Bill 1149. Swanson said the idea was presented by a group of volunteer fire chiefs.
“This bill allows a career or volunteer firefighter to complete their fire training and then take that firefighter training to a local university or community college and apply for credit hours for that firefighter training,” Swanson said. He noted that similar credit opportunities exist for military personnel and emergency medical technicians.
The bill passed the House 115-0 on Tuesday and is now on its way to the Senate for further consideration.
71st District residents can find more news about the General Assembly and information about upcoming events on Rep. Swanson’s legislative website at repswanson.com.