This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes a list of ISACo Board Members and Officers, announces the updated 2023 County Platform, identifies Illinois House and Senate caucus leadership teams, reports on the signing of a bill concerning the transfer of criminal defendants from county jails, provides information about a funding opportunity for county solid waste planning, links to the Illinois 2022 State Water Plan, shares a link to the December 2022 ISACo County Quarterly Newsletter, reminds county officials and staff to register for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference (February 11-14), shares upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Comcast and invites counties to join ISACo.

ISACo Board of Directors 2023-2024

The ISACo Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 term includes county officials with prior service on the Board as well as several new members. A listing of Board members is available via this link.

During the first quarterly Board of Directors meeting on January 20, the following officers were elected by the Board to lead the Association:

President, Matt Prochaska, Kendall County Circuit Clerk

Vice President, Dennis Deer, Cook County Commissioner

Secretary, David Meyer, Washington County Board Chair

Treasurer, Bill Crowley, Winnebago County Auditor

Congratulations to the Board of Directors and elected officers!

ISACo County Platform for 2023

On January 20, 2023, ISACo's Board of Directors approved the Association's updated 2023 County Platform. The County Platform includes the core tenants of the Association as well as several policy statements that will guide ISACo staff when analyzing and taking positions on legislation introduced in 2023. 

In addition to approving the County Platform, the Board of Directors approved two issues for introduction in 2023. These issues include allowing an option for local disparity studies for county design-build projects and amending the cannabis law to allow for the appointment of county officials to the Restore, Reinvest and Renew Board.

The 2023 County Platform and Position Statements on the two legislative issues are available via this link.

House and Senate Leadership for 103rd General Assembly

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) appointed several members of his caucus to his leadership team. 

Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) appointed several members of his caucus to his leadership team.

House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Westchester) appointed several members of his caucus to his leadership team.

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) appointed several members of her caucus to her leadership team.

Criminal Defendant Transfer Bill Signed into Law

HB 240 (Rep. Harris, D-Chicago/Sen. Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights) was signed into law as P.A 102-1118 on January 18, 2023. ISACo opposed this legislation in the House and Senate.

As previously reported, the bill includes among its provisions language that would allow the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to forego the transfer of criminal defendants with mental health disabilities from counties when DHS has insufficient beds and staff to receive the defendants. Consequently, these criminal defendants would remain the responsibility of the county despite county jails not being equipped to provide the space or mental health services required by the defendants. This provision would only be applicable to individuals committing no more than a misdemeanor offense. 

Funding Opportunity for County Solid Waste Planning

On January 17, 2023, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John J. Kim announced a new funding opportunity to assist counties and other units of local government in implementing their solid waste planning obligations under the Illinois Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act (SWPRA). 

Under the SWPRA, counties and units of local government are obligated to revisit their Illinois Solid Waste Management Plans every five years and, if necessary, submit plans with significant updates to the IEPA. The IEPA Material Management and Compliance Section is responsible for reviewing any solid waste management plans with significant updates submitted pursuant to the SWPRA. Through this funding opportunity, IEPA intends to provide interested counties, and other units of local government required to develop a county solid waste management plan, financial assistance to help prepare the next plan update.

Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, conducting a local solid waste and materials management needs assessment, surveying local solid waste and materials management stakeholders to determine programmatic expansion viability, internally authoring solid waste management plan updates, or procuring consulting services to prepare solid waste management plan updates. Each county or unit of local government is eligible for up to $10,000 in funding.

IDNR Releases Updated State Water Plan

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) released the Illinois 2022 State Water Plan. The plan, developed by the Illinois State Water Plan Task Force, spotlights 13 key water issues and focuses on improving the resiliency, public safety, stewardship, economic development and understanding of the water resources of Illinois to improve the lives of its residents.

ISACo County Quarterly 

ISACo's County Quarterly for December 2022 is available here! Some of the content included within the County Quarterly is a 2022 Veto Session update, ISACo's Annual Report for 2022, seven questions with former ISACo President Deborah Sims, a market update from ISACo corporate partner PMA-IPRIME and key dates for the 2023 spring legislative session.

Registration Open for NACo Legislative Conference

The National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference will be held from February 11-14, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The conference brings together nearly 2,000 elected and appointed county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and our residents.

Attendees have the opportunity to engage in second-to-none policy sessions, meet the members of the 118th Congress and interact with federal agency officials.

This is a one-of-a-kind advocacy opportunity to strengthen our intergovernmental partnerships for years to come.

Registration information is available via this link.

Upcoming NACo Webinars

NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar opportunities. ISACo is a proud partner with NACo and encourages counties to participate in NACo membership and activities.

County Strategies to Recruit and Retain a Strong Behavioral Health Workforce

(Thursday, January 26, 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm CDT)

Counties are developing innovative solutions in response to behavioral health workforce shortages across the country. As qualified behavioral health workers seek employment in the private sector or different professions altogether, county providers are struggling to recruit and maintain the workforce necessary to meet the growing demand for services. Join NACo for a panel discussion of innovative solutions to behavioral health workforce challenges.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Understanding How Proposed Changes to The Land-In-Trust Process Could Impact Counties

(Monday, January 30, 2023, 2:00pm-3:00pm CDT)

On December 5, 2022, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published a proposed rule to update the regulations that dictate the process in which Tribes place land in trust of the federal government (25 CFR 151). When land is placed into trust, ownership is transferred to the federal government and held in trust for the benefit of tribal community and tribal members. Join NACo for an educational webinar featuring tribal law experts Jena MacLean and Odin Smith of Perkins Coie LLP to learn how the proposed rule could impact counties with tribal lands in their boundaries. To learn more, click here.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

CORPORATE SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with Comcast.

Comcast Corporation is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment, and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services.  It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services.  Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks produce original content and has exclusive content rights. 

With more than 6,000 local employees, Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region (https://chicago.comcast.com) serves customers in central and northern Illinois, including the Chicago area, northwest Indiana, and southwest Michigan.

More information about the services provided by Comcast is available via this link.

Click on this link to learn more about the benefits and opportunities available through ISACo's Corporate Partner Program.

Become an ISACo Member!