SPRINGFIELD - Illinois firefighters are a step closer to being able to close roads and better control traffic during emergency situations after the General Assembly approved a measure Thursday.

Dubbed "Shib's Law" after James "Shib" Miller - a Sesser firefighter who was killed in the line of duty when a bus hit him along Interstate 57 last July - the proposal would permit firefighters to close off lanes of traffic while responding to an emergency situation.

The measure, sponsored in the Senate by state Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, and in the House by state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, was approved shortly after hundreds of firefighters from around the state gathered for a service to honor firefighters who fell in the line of duty in the past year.

"As a result of all this hard work, we're on the verge of immortalizing, in honor of a friend, an important and life-saving piece of legislation," Bradley said before the vote was cast in the House.

The measure passed the House 111-0. It was unanimously approved by the Senate in April.

The ceremony honoring fallen firefighters began with a bagpipe procession outside the Capitol and ended with the fellow firefighters and family members of the fallen accepting awards from State Fire Marshal David Foreman.

Miller's family, including his brother Kevin - who served alongside him in the Sesser Fire Department - attended the ceremony, which was held outside the Statehouse at the firefighters' memorial statue.

Kevin described his brother as an active member of his church, a stay-at-home dad, and a devoted St. Louis Cardinals fan.

"If you ever made him mad, you'd know it," Kevin said. "If he was your friend you'd definitely know it - he'd give you the shirt off his back."

James Miller, who was a firefighter for 22 years, was honored along with four other firefighters who fell in the line of duty - including Michael Fox of the Vergennes Fire Department, William Grant of the Chicago Fire Department, Scott Mumm of the Mendota Fire Department, and Joseph Zumwalt of the Sheldon Fire Department.

"It's hard to see his name in print," Kevin Miller said of his brother. "I'd like him to be here."

Also honored at the event was firefighter Steve Williams of Marion, who received a Medal of Honor award. Williams was named for the award in March after breaking through the window of a burning building to rescue a disabled woman trapped inside.

The Medal of Honor is the highest award given to firefighters in Illinois, and it is awarded for bravery and heroism above and beyond the call of duty.

The measure must be signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in order to become law.

The legislation is Senate Bill 2488.