This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter announces the upcoming 2024 Legislative Conference jointly hosted by ISACo and the United Counties Council of Illinois (UCCI), includes links to newly tracked bills, recognizes Kane County Chairwoman Corinne Pierog for her planned attendance at an upcoming meeting at the White House, provides an update on loans invested in drinking and wastewater throughout the state, announces grants available for local grocers to preserve access to fresh food, reports about the approaching 2024 Income Tax season, shares registration information for the 2024 NACo Legislative Conference, includes current CD and Treasury Rates Provided by IPRIME, announces upcoming Public Surplus and National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Mahoney, Silverman and Cross, LLC and invites counties to join ISACo. 

Save the Date-Legislative Conference  

UCCI and ISACo will soon announce details about the April 10-11 Legislative Conference. This will include an opportunity to register for the event. 

2024 Legislative Session Update 

The General Assembly met on January 16-17 to begin the 2024 legislative session. Session was adjourned for the House and Senate on January 17, with the January 18 session day being cancelled. Both chambers will convene again February 6-8.

List of Newly Tracked Bills

The following bills have recently been added to ISACo's tracked bill list. If there is no position listed then the bill is still under review by staff. A complete list of ISACo tracked bills is available via this link.

HB 4460 – Police & Fire Ins-Mental Health (No Position)

HB 4462 - Minors-Time in Custody (No Position)

HB 4464 - Property Tax-Senior Homestead Exempt (No Position)

HB 4465 - Medical Cannabis-Tax

HB 4468 - Victims Security-Enforcement

HB 4469 - Firearms-Domestic Violence (No Position)

HB 4470 - Property Tax-CILA Exempt (No Position)

HB 4472 - Health Care Availability

HB 4475 - Ins Cd-Behavioral Health

HB 4478 - Shelby County Rescue Squad

HB 4479 - Cont Sub-Overdose-Assistance (No Position)

HB 4481 - Court Security Officer-Weapons

HB 4482 - Crim Pro-Continued Detention

HB 4489 - Bike/Pedestrian Path Funding (Support) (ISACo Initiative)

HB 4496 - DCEO-Master Plan

HB 4497 - Police In-Service Training (No Position)

HB 4500 - Unlawful Possession Weapons (No Position)

HB 4502 - Conservation-Open Space Fund (Support)

HB 4503 - Election Cd-Early Voting Locations

HB 4509 - South Suburban Trauma Center (No Position)

HB 4512 - Property Tax-Publication (Support) (ISACo Initiative)

HB 4513 - Cannabis-Reinvest Program (Support) (ISACo Initiative)

HB 4523 - Prevailing Wage-Spc Service (No Position)

HB 4527 - Crim Cd-Sexual Rel-Students (No Position)

HB 4531 - Classification By Bio Sex Act (No Position)

HB 4533 - USE/OCC Tax-Remote Retailer

SB 2748 - DCFS-Police Assistance (No Position)

SB 2751 - Local-Disabled Vet Permit Fee

SB 2757 - Pesticide-Regulation Authority

SB 2759 - Adoptee Medical Testing (No Position)

SB 2761 - Courts-Domestic Violence Ed (No Position)

SB 2763 - Outdoor Lighting Control

SB 2768 - Indemnify County Pathologist

SB 2775 - Pen Cd-IMRF-Return to Service (No Position)

SB 2778 - Sheriff Dept-Veteran Exam (No Position)

SB 2779 - County-Bd-Certified Pathologists

SB 2780 - Property Tax-County Executive

SB 2781 - Forests-Wetlands-Prairies (Support)

SB 2782 - $DNR-Healthy Forests-Prairies (No Position)

SB 2793 - Paid Leave for All-Employee

SB 2795 - Safe Patient Limits Act (No Position)

SB 2798 - Land Transfer-Monroe, Kane Co (No Position)

SB 2805 - Protective Ord-Petitioner Name (No Position)

SB 2806 - Police Training-Candidates (No Position)

SB 2807 – Juvenile Ct-Veh & Agg Veh Hijacking (No Position)

SB 2812 - Trauma-Informed Response 

SB 2813 - Counties Cd-Board Compensation

SB 2814 - Property Tax-Omitted Property (Support)

SB 2815 - Elec Cd-Home Rule Referendum (No Position)

SB 2816 - Organic Waste Composting

*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 positions of "support" or "oppose" are usually reserved for bills that directly or tangentially impact county finances and operations. ISACo also supports member county initiatives that are consistent with ISACo's County Platform. 

Kane County Chairwoman Pierog Invited to White House

ISACo Board Member and Kane County Chairwoman Corinne Pierog will visit the White House on February 1 for a briefing to highlight federal investments within local communities. The event is called "Communities in Action: Building a Better Illinois and Indiana."

Chair Pierog stated the following about the upcoming meeting:

"I am excitedly looking forward to highlighting the great work being done by Kane County. I'm honored to be able to represent the citizens of Kane County at this meaningful meeting." 

A news article about the event is available via this link.

Millions Invested in Drinking Water and Wastewater

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John J. Kim announced the investment of more than $66 million through water infrastructure loans to local governments and water districts for the first half of Fiscal Year 2024 (July – December 2023). The IEPA State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program provides low-interest loans which fund wastewater, stormwater and drinking water projects. Of that investment, more than $4.6 million in loan forgiveness was provided to those recipients meeting the loan rules for either the Small Community Rate or Hardship Rate.

The press release is available via this link.

Grants Available for Local Grocers to Preserve Access to Fresh Food

On January 25, 2024, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced $3.5 million in available grant funding for local grocers through the Equipment Upgrades Program as part of the Illinois Grocery Initiative. These grants will provide funding for energy-efficient equipment upgrades for existing grocery stores, with priority given to those located in food-insecure communities across the state. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process.

The press release and information on how to apply is available via this link.

2024 Income Tax Season Approaching

The 2024 tax season is quickly approaching and the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) announced it will begin accepting and processing 2023 tax returns on January 29, 2024, the same date the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) begins accepting federal income tax returns.

If a taxpayer electronically files an error-free return, they should receive a direct deposit refund in approximately four weeks. In 2023, IDOR received a total of nearly 6.2 million IL-1040 returns. Of those returns received, close to 5.6 million were filed electronically or 90.3 percent. The tax filing deadline is Monday, April 15, 2024.

The press release is available via this link. 

What We're Reading

Capitol Briefs: State Police Report Fewer Deaths on Illinois Highways in 2023 (Capitol News Illinois)

New Illinois Law Expands Tenants Rights if Radon Found in Home (WGEM)

Illinois Officials Look to ‘Knock the Dominoes Down’ and Ban Some Additives, Dye Used in Ultra-Processed Foods (WTTW)

Staffing Agencies Not Exempted From Antitrust Law, State Supreme Court Rules (Capitol News Illinois)

Local Government Recruiters Can Use Structured Interviews and Performance-Based Questions to Eliminate Bias in the Hiring Process (American City and County)

Illinois State Treasurer Sets Online Auction of Unclaimed Property (WICS)

The Perils of Broadcasting Law Enforcement Frequencies (Governing)

Registration Open for NACo Legislative Conference

The National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference will be held from February 10-13, 2024, 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 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.

Current CD and Treasury Rates Provided by IPRIME

The following rates are current as of January 29, 2024. Please click on the image below to review the rates. 

 Upcoming Public Surplus Webinar Dates

Public Surplus will be offering 20-minute webinar sessions to interested individuals to learn more about Public Surplus and its online auction site. Participants will also be guided on how to register, or re-register to create a new account.

Public Surplus is an online auction platform that offers services to local government agencies.  

ISACo has partnered with Public Surplus to provide large discounts for our county members when it comes to doing online auctions, specifically real estate sales.

Through a partnership with ISACo, Illinois counties are eligible to list items with a reduced buyer's premium, which will encourage competitive bidding on surplus items listed. With Public Surplus, buyers are responsible for all service fees, and it costs counties nothing to use the service.

Public Surplus will also provide a 10 percent rebate to ISACo on each sale so that the Association can continue to offer a high level of service at minimal cost to members.

The webinar will take place on the following dates: 

January 30, 2024, at 11:00am CST To join, click here. 

February 15, 2024, at 1:00pm CST (Link Available Later)

February 26, 2024, at 2:00pm CST (Link Available Later)

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. 

Artificial Intelligence: Is Your Data and Data Governance ready for AI Opportunities

(Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)

Join NACo and the Data Privacy Officer of Utah in an overview of Utah’s collaborative approach with the 29 counties in Utah on Data Privacy. You will hear how the state has provided “privacy health checks” to both large and small counties. Whittney will also cover how they approach notification of data breaches and pending legislation that will affect the handling of data, both with privacy and transparency. Along with several counties, attendees will hear about AI policies and toolkits that they have developed, which can be useful for any county.

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.

Coal Countries: Transition Strategies from Coal Communities Across the Globe

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

Coal communities across the world share challenges. Learn transition strategies from local governments in England, India and Canada for how localities are navigating clean energy infrastructure, strengthening their economies and supporting the local workforce. Join NACo’s Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) National Network for this collaborate webinar with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Click on this link to register for the webinar.

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT 

The Law Firm of Mahoney, Silverman and Cross, LLC strives to provide superior legal representation with the objective of exceeding our clients’ expectations. Each member of our firm is committed to utilizing critical analysis and innovative approaches to achieve timely resolutions with the best possible results for our clients.

More information about Mahoney, Silverman and Cross 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!