This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes a link to ISACo's updated 2023 Public Acts Report, includes a link to ISACo's Paid Leave for All Workers Act Resource Page, reports on an increase in respiratory viruses in Illinois, shares the Illinois Commerce Commission's (ICC) decision to reject Ameren Illinois and ComEd’s integrated grid plans, makes county officials aware of a Suicide Prevention Grant, informs county officials of a staffing change in Senate President Don Harmon's office, shares that Spring Savings Crop Incentive Program Applications are now available, provides information about the Cook County Jail Detainee Identification Card Pilot Program, announces upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner PMA-IPRIME and invites counties to join ISACo.

The ISACo staff wishes you a safe and enjoyable holiday season. 

ISACo Public Acts Report

ISACo published a report of tracked bills enacted into law in 2023. The report is available by clicking on the image below and has been updated with more recent legislation approved during the Veto Session and subsequently enacted into law by the Governor.

* An ISACo tracked bill includes bills that directly or tangentially impact county finances and operations, bills that may be of interest to county officials for the performance of their duties and legislation presented "for your information." 

ISACo Paid Leave for All Workers Act Resource Page 

ISACo created a resource page for the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAWA) for county officials and their staff to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act Resource page is available via this link.

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is hosting webinars about PLAWA. The next webinar is on Thursday, December 21, at 10:00 a.m. CST, with additional webinars occurring on Thursday, January 11, 2024, and Thursday, January 25, 2024. More information, including links to register, is available via this link.

Respiratory Viruses Increase in Illinois 

With 51 counties, or half the counties in Illinois now at a medium or high level for COVID-19 hospitalizations, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is advising healthcare facilities to step up mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses. On December 14, 2023, the Department issued a health alert to hospitals, long-term care facilities and local health departments outlining various mitigation measures such as the use of masking and screening, especially in areas where more vulnerable patients are treated.

The press release is available via this link. 

ComEd and Ameren Illinois’ Multi-Year Integrated Grid Plans Rejected

On December 14, 2023, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) rejected Ameren Illinois and ComEd’s integrated grid plans by a 4-1 vote, finding that both companies failed to comply with several components of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The ICC’s decisions require both utilities to file an updated grid plan within three months of the final order.

The press release is available via this link.

Suicide Prevention Grant

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is now accepting applications for a $312,000 suicide prevention grant. The federally-funded grant will fund a single organization to improve the ability of staffers in education, child welfare and juvenile justice to identify, assess and help young people who may be at risk for suicide.

Applications will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on February 2, 2024, with the announcement of the grant award expected in March. Prospective applicants can get more information and apply online at CSFA (illinois.gov).

The press release is available via this link. 

Butcher Leaving Senate Democrat Staff

Jake Butcher, the Chief of Staff to Senate President Don Harmon, is stepping down to practice law. Deputy Chief of Staff Ashley Jenkins-Jordan will serve as the new Chief of Staff.

Spring Savings Crop Incentive Program Applications

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program opens for applications on Friday with pre-enrollment available now for the first time in the program’s history.

Users are encouraged to enter their information into the application and validate it during the pre-enrollment period that began on December 4, 2023. Applications can be submitted when the program opens at 8:00 a.m. on Dec. 15, 2023. Applications can be saved and edited at any time, prior to submittal.

The press release and application are available via this link.

Cook County Jail Detainees Identification Card Pilot Program

Sheriff Tom Dart and Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias are creating a pilot program to give identification cards to certain detainees released from the Cook County jail. The officials intend for the program to help detainees with housing, transportation, social services and lead to employment opportunities to prevent individuals from reoffending.

Read more here. 

What We're Reading

How Suburban Counties are Spending Opioid Settlement Money (Daily Herald) 

Pritzker Signs Measure Allowing New Small-Scale Nuclear Technology in Illinois (Capitol News Illinois)

Office of Statewide Pretrial Services Releases First Sets of Data Related to Pretrial Legislation (ISBA)

2024: 12 Predictions for Cities and Counties (AI stars in all) (American City and County)

Chicago Scraps Plans for Migrant Tent Camp in Morgan Park (WBEZ)

Elimination of Cash Bail Seems to Be Working (Illinois Times)

As Deadline Looms, Assault Weapons Registration Rules Still Unresolved (Capitol News Illinois)

Illinois’ Gun Ban Registry Rules in Federal Court Tuesday (The Center Square)

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $8.2B for 10 New, Existing Passenger Rail Corridors (American City and County)

Migrants Arriving by Busload in Rosemont and Cicero Are Sent Away, but Welcomed in Oak Park, as Suburbs Respond Differently to Crisis (Chicago Tribune)

Illinois Looking to Expand Food Infrastructure with State Grant (WCIA)

Illinois Lawmakers, Industry Experts Discuss Future Broadband Expansion (WAND)

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. 

Rural Prenatal-to-Three Peer Learning Network: Centering Family Voice in Local Policy

(Monday, December 18, 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Families are children’s first teachers.mYet policies impacting young children are often created without input from parents and families. By meaningfully engaging families in policy and program design, counties can transform services and systems to help young children achieve economic mobility, housing stability and improved health and well-being. Join this virtual convening to learn more about how and why county governments can engage families in planning and implementation efforts.

Note: This convening will focus on strategies for rural and smaller suburban counties. To learn more about strategies for urban counties, please join the December 19 session.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Urban Prenatal-to-Three Peer Learning Network: Centering Family Voice in Local Policy

(Tuesday, December 19, 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Families are children’s first teachers. Yet policies impacting young children are often created without input from parents and families. By meaningfully engaging families in policy and program design, counties can transform services and systems to help young children achieve economic mobility, housing stability and improved health and well-being. Join this virtual convening to learn more about how and why county governments can engage families in planning and implementation efforts.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Transforming Communities: County-Level Solutions for Mental Health and System Challenges

(Friday, December 22, 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Falcon is a behavioral health consulting and management firm that works to provide solutions for counties in the intersection between justice system and community care. Falcon provides expertise to counties to assess their systems of care and transform them to achieve better justice, public health, and safety outcomes.

This presentation will focus on the following topics:

The Sequential Intercept Model to include the continuum of care in the community
Necessary components of and process through the continuum of care
Identifying and addressing the areas of vulnerability in your system of care
Wellness for staff and clients across the continuum of care.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

Building a Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: The Role of Elected Officials and I/DD Directors

(Thursday, January 11, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Counties play a critical role in supporting community members living with behavioral health conditions or experiencing a behavioral health crisis. To build an effective and robust behavioral health system, counties need strong leadership to promote dialogue in the community and implement programs and policies that benefit all residents. This webinar will highlight two local leadership roles: county elected officials and intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) directors. Attendees will engage in a panel discussion with representatives of these roles to learn about how elected officials and I/DD directors can identify solutions and cultivate support for sustainable, accessible behavioral health care.

This webinar is hosted by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in partnership with the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Development Disability Directors (NACBHDD). It is the first in a series of three webinars that will spotlight specific kinds of local leaders and how they can leverage their unique roles to advance behavioral health care.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

First-Time Attendee Orientation

(Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 2:00pm-3:00pm CST)

Learn tips and tricks to maximize the value of your first NACo conference.

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

 

Founded in 2019, the Illinois Public Reserves Investment Management Trust™ (IPRIME™) referred to as “the Fund” is an investment pool for Municipal Treasurers acting on behalf of counties, townships, cities, towns, villages, libraries, park districts, water supply districts, fire protection districts, sanitary districts, housing authorities and other subdivisions of the State of Illinois.

The IPRIME Investment Shares Series is rated AAAm by Standard & Poor’s.

The Investment Shares Series is comprised of money market instruments having a maximum remaining maturity of one year (except U.S. government obligations that may have remaining maturities of up to two years).

The primary objectives of the Investment Shares Series are to offer the highest possible investment yield, protect principal, preserve liquidity and maintain Standard & Poor’s highest local government investment pool rating of AAAm. In addition, the Fund offers access to PMA Financial Network, LLC’s Fixed Income and Deposit Programs. With the experience and expertise of PMA, the Investment Shares Series grants investors access to a powerful investment management team that functions with a high standard of vision, synergy, and quality.

Click here to visit their website.

Click here to learn more about the PMA-ISACo partnership.

Become an ISACo Member!