This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter reports on Illinois County officials attending an event at the White House last week, announces the upcoming 2024 Legislative Conference jointly hosted by ISACo and the United Counties Council of Illinois (UCCI), celebrates Black History Month, includes links to newly tracked bills, reports on a statewide initiative with Google Public Sector, conveys that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is seeking application reviewers, shares the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) new 2024 Illinois Roadway map, announces a grant available to manufacturers in Illinois, shares links to several articles ISACo staff is reading, includes current CD and Treasury Rates from IPRIME, shares registration information for the 2024 National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference (February 10-13), announces upcoming NACo and Public Surplus webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner PMA "IPRIME" and invites counties to join ISACo. 

Illinois County Officials Attend White House Event

On February 1, 2024, Illinois County officials attended the Communities in Action: Building a Better Illinois and Indiana event at the White House. Attendees participated in several events with other local leaders from across the Midwest to highlight federal investments in local communities throughout the country. 

Pictured from left to right: Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Lake County Board Chairwoman Sandy Hart, Kane County Chairwoman Corinne Pierog and NACo Immediate Past President and Will County Board Member Denise Winfrey. Chairs Bertino-Tarrant, Hart and Pierog serve on ISACo's Board of Directors. Board Member Winfrey is a past ISACo Board Member. 

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. 

ISACo Celebrates Black History Month

ISACo is proud to recognize and celebrate Black History Month. Please stay tuned for educational content in celebration of Black History in Illinois on our social media pages.

Please email Member Services and Communications Manager Tiffani Homer at thomer@isacoil.org if you wish to share upcoming events, notable leaders or highlights of Black History month in your County to be featured in our weekly e-newsletter and social media pages. 

Information on Black History Month is available via this link.

2024 Legislative Session Update 

The General Assembly is scheduled to convene on February 6-8 for the second week of the 2024 spring legislative session. 

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 4529 - Notice of Police Misconduct

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

HB 4533 - USE/OCC Tx-Remote Retailer

HB 4534 - Repeal Illinois Trust Act (No Position)

HB 4541 - Mental Health Board-Elections (No Position)

HB 4542 - Property Tax- Senior Freeze (No Position)

HB 4543 - Muni-TIF Districts-Start Date (No Position)

HB 4546 - Senior Freeze-Exempt Medical (No Position)

HB 4551 - County Cd-Wind & Solar Facilities

HB 4559 - Property Tax-Notice

HB 4561 - Property Tax-Protest Payments (No Position)

HB 4562 - Ins Cd-Cancer-Genetic Testing (No Position)

HB 4569 - Coroners-Forensic Pathologists (Support)

HB 4574 - Cd Corr-Aggravating Factors

HB 4575 - IHDA-Rental Housing Program

HB 4584 - Sch Cd-Report Police Involve

HB 4585 - Law Enforcement-Arrest Quotas

HB 4587 - Property Tax-Interest Distribution

HB 4590 - Animal Adoption-Fee Waiver (No Position)

HB 4592 - Veh Cd-Mobile ID Cards (No Position)

SB 2820 - DCFS-Extended Foster Care (No Position)

SB 2826 - Elec Cd-Write-In Candidates (No Position)

SB 2827 - Elec Cd/Procurement Cd-Various (No Position)

SB 2828 - Dom Violence-Order Duration (No Position)

SB 2836 - Ins/Short-Term Health Coverage (No Position)

SB 2839 - Veh Cd-Emission Test Standards (No Position)

SB 2841 - Conservation-Open Space Fund (Support)

SB 2843 - RTA Rail Safety Annual Report (No Position)

SB 2845 - Property Tax-Long-Time Occupant (Oppose)

SB 2849 - Unmanned Aircraft Regulation (Support)

SB 2853 - Paid Leave for All-Home Rule (Oppose)

SB 2857 - Revenue-Megaprojects (No Position)

SB 2859 - Property Tax-Wastewater

SB 2863 - Veh Cd-Bike Trail Signs

SB 2864 - Unlawful Possession Weapons

SB 2870 - Elec Cd-Early Voting Locations (No Position)

SB 2876 - Solid Waste-Event Facilities

SB 2878 - Property Tax-Senior Homestead Exempt (No Position)

SB 2884 - Civ Pro-Affidavit of Merit (No Position)

SB 2892 - Counties-Wind & Solar Energy

SB 2894 - Muni Cd-Admin Adjudication (Support)

SB 2896 - Ins Cd-Behavioral Health (No Position)

SB 2906 - Home Rule County Use Tax Law (Support)

SB 2907 - Job Training Transparency (No Position)

SB 2908 - Adult Changing Station & Table

SB 2911 - Property Tax-TIF Incentives

SB 2913 - Pen Cd-IMRF-Annuity Suspension

SB 2914 - Pen Cd-IMRF-Elected Officials (No Position)

SB 2915 - Pen Cd-IMRF-Death Benefit (No Position)

SB 2916 - Elec Code-Deceased Voter

SB 2917 - Elections Voter Photo ID (No Position)

SB 2919 - Judicial Foreclosure Procedure (No Position)

SB 2923 - Manufacturing-Energy-Exemption

SB 2926 - Law Enforcement-Mental Health

*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. 

Statewide Initiative with Google Public Sector

On January 29, 2024, Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and Google Public Sector to announce the creation of BEACON (Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation): A Service Access Portal for Illinois Youth. Powered by Google Cloud's secure, scalable and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing technology, the new state-of-the-art online portal will provide a user-friendly experience for Illinois families to access behavioral and mental health resources for children. The Division of Mental Health (DMH) at DHS is collaborating with Google Public Sector to deliver this ongoing statewide transformation.

The press release is available via this link.

Application Reviewers Wanted

On January 29, 2024, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) kicked off a recruitment initiative for community volunteers to read and review grant applications submitted by organizations across Illinois. This collaborative approach builds equity into ICJIA's application review process with the assistance of individuals with diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences.

ICJIA administers 13 federal and 16 state programs, most of which require notice of funding opportunity application review processes. Volunteers are needed to engage in application review to determine the best use of grant funding.

The press release and additional information is available via this link.

Illinois Highway Map Available

On February 1, 2024, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced the release of the new Illinois Official Highway Map. The map includes route updates, detailed sections devoted to cities from Zion and Cairo as well as a feature that shows mileage between towns and marked route junctions to assist travelers as they explore Illinois.

The press release and information on how to get the map is available via this link. 

Made in Illinois Grant Available

On February 2, 2024, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) announced $1 million in funding for the Made in Illinois Grant Program. The program provides up to $50,000 in matching grant funding to small and mid-sized Illinois manufacturers to support innovation and strategic advancements in manufacturing.

Applications are now open through March 31, 2024, and manufacturers are encouraged to explore the benefits offered by the Made in Illinois Grant Program by visiting www.imec.org/madeinillinois. The page provides details on eligibility criteria, application procedures and the improvement achievable through this initiative. 

The press release is available via this link. 

What We're Reading

Illinois Comptroller Offers Tips to Avoid Scams for Tax Season (WCIA)

Groundhog Day’s biggest Star is Punxsutawney Phil, but the Holiday’s Roots Extend Well Beyond Him (The Hill)

Illinois Election Officials are Ramping Up Efforts to Recruit Election Judges for March Primary (WBEZ)

Education Experts Say They’re Ready for AI This Time (The Hill)

Illinois Partners With Google for Child Behavioral Health Resource Portal (WCIA)

Legislation Introduced to Change Illinois Estate Tax (Illinois Farm Week)

Current CD and Treasury Rates Provided by IPRIME

The following rates are current as of February 6, 2024. Please click on the image below to review the rates. 

 

Upcoming Public Surplus Webinar Dates

ISACo corporate partner 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 payment 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: 

February 15, 2024, at 1:00pm CST, click to join here. 

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

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.

Upcoming NACo Webinar

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

Public Promise Procurement Public Agency People Moving Solutions

(Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 12:30pm-1:00pm CST)

NACo's Public Promise Procurement (PPP) in collaboration with Lead Public Agency Maricopa County, Arizona offers public agencies a fantastic option for procuring the latest in people moving systems and services through the newest competitively-bid cooperative contract awarded to KONE, Inc. During the webinar participants will hear from KONE about their company, capabilities and what is available through the contract. Maricopa County procurement team will provide an overview of the procurement process and contract and PPP will be on hand to provide information about the cooperative purchasing program.

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 our ISACo's relationship with IPRIME.

Click here for information about our corporate partner program.

Become an ISACo Member!