Illinois Statutes Chapter 210. Health Facilities and Regulation § 50/33. Continuation of Act; validation

(1) When the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act was originally enacted by Public Act 81-1518, effective December 15, 1980, it included a Section 25, which repealed the Act on January 1, 1986. This Section appeared in the Laws of Illinois, but was not included in Illinois revised statutes.

(2) Public Act 84-1064, effective November 27, 1985, added a new Section 25, relating to violations and penalties; it did not explicitly refer to or strike out the existing Section 25. The new Section 25 is the only Section 25 to appear in subsequent publications of the Illinois Revised Statutes.

(3) The Statute on Statutes  1 sets forth general rules on the repeal of statutes and the construction of multiple amendments, but Section 1 of that Act  2 also states that these rules will not be observed when the result would be “inconsistent with the manifest intent of the General Assembly or repugnant to the context of the statute”.

(4) The General Assembly later amended the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act in Public Act 84-1404, effective September 18, 1986, which contained important provisions for establishing trauma centers throughout the State. The Act has also been amended by every subsequent General Assembly, and has been administered without interruption by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

(5) This history of continuing amendments to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act, including the addition of important new programs, clearly manifests the intention of the General Assembly to remove the old Section 25 repealer and have the Act continue in effect beyond January 1, 1986.

(6) The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act contains a number of programs that are essential to the continuing health and safety of the people of this State. Any construction of Section 25 that results in the repeal of the Act on January 1, 1986 would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the General Assembly and repugnant to the context of the statute, and would create serious potential risks to the health and safety of the people of Illinois.