Firefighter candidates would disclose arson convictions under Illinois bill

Arson convicts would be burned under a new proposal from Illinois lawmakers that would require firefighter candidates to disclose past fire-related crimes.

The bill, filed in the Illinois House on Wednesday, would require anyone applying to become a firefighter to disclose whether he or she was convicted of arson in the past. The measure follows the governor pardoning a convicted arsonist who then became a local fire chief, which led nearly a dozen firefighters to walk off the job in protest.