This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter provides an update on ISACo-tracked bills signed into law by the Governor and includes a link to ISACo's 2024 Bills Approved by Both Chambers report, links to ISACo's 2024 State Mandates Report, makes county officials aware of more than $300 million returned to Illinois residents by the Illinois State Treasurers Office, reports on a new law that allows for young adult inmates to be transferred from an Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facility to an Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) facility to receive high school educational services, announces upcoming Public Service and National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Nationwide and invites counties to join ISACo.
Governor Bill Actions
Governor JB Pritzker has recently signed several ISACo-tracked bills into law. The bills are linked to below:
HB 0255 (P.A. 103-0788) - Conservation-Tech
HB 0277 (P.A. 103-0789) - Clerk of Court-Notifications
HB 0612 (P.A. 103-0596) - Homestead Exempt-Vets W/ Disabilities
HB 1168 (P.A. 103-0792) - DNA Database-Prohibitions
HB 1377 (P.A. 103-0793) - Prop Tx-New Residential
HB 1837 (P.A. 103-0794) - Environmental Protection Act Exemption
HB 2154 (P.A. 103-0796) - Local-Battery-Charged Fences
HB 2161 (P.A. 103-0797) - Unlawful Discrimination-Family
HB 2323 (P.A. 103-0798) - Uniform Crime Statistics Data
HB 2385 (P.A. 103-0800) - Ins-Colonoscopy Coverage
HB 3773 (P.A. 103-0804) - Limit Predictive Analytics Use
HB 4179 (P.A. 103-0807) - Emergency Service Dist-Various
HB 4180 (P.A. 103-0808) - Insurance-Diagnostic Mammogram
HB 4226 (P.A. 103-0597) - Judicial Vacancies
HB 4350 (P.A. 103-0813) - Child Abuse Notice Act
HB 4460 (P.A. 103-0827) - Police & Fire Ins-Mental Health
HB 5496 (P.A. 103-0864) - Transport-South Suburban Air
HB 4582 (P.A. 103-0591) - Bonding Authority
HB 4592 (P.A. 103-0824) - Veh Cd-Mobile ID Cards
HB 4623 (P.A. 103-0825) - Sexual Explicit Digital Image
HB 4804 (P.A. 103-0833) - Unplanned Water Supply Disrupt
HB 4942 (P.A. 103-0842) - Counties Cd-Coroner Reports
HB 4951 (P.A. 103-0592) - Revenue Bill & Salary Task Force
HB 5028 (P.A. 103-0845) - Labor-OSHA-Opioid Guidance
HB 5086 (P.A. 103-0848) - Nurse Agencies-Negligence
HB 5142 (P.A. 103-0720) - Pregnancy/Postpartum Care
HB 5166 (P.A. 103-0606) - Elk Grove Fire Protection Dist
HB 5189 (P.A. 103-0852) - Veh Cd-Reports-Rail Fatalities
HB 5190 (P.A. 103-0853) - Hwy Cd-Lapsed Funds
HB 5287 (P.A. 103-0607) - County Cd-Officer Stipends
HB 5371 (P.A. 103-0859) - Human Rights-Various
HB 5507 (P.A. 103-0610) - Birth Certificate Changes
HB 5546 (P.A. 103-0614) - Julie-Positive Response System
HB 5561 (P.A. 103-0867) - Whistleblower Act
HB 5574 (P.A. 103-0868) - Hwy Cd-Impact Fee-Repeal
HB 5643 (P.A. 103-0870) - Ins Cd-Pregnancy Tests
SB 2412 (P.A. 103-0586) - Election Issues
SB 2735 (P.A. 103-0618) - Ins-Electronic Payment Fees
SB 2751 (P.A. 103-0621) - Local-Disabled Vet Permit Fee
SB 2778 (P.A. 103-0623) - Sheriff Dept-Veteran Exam
SB 2798 (P.A. 103-0625) - Land Transfer-Monroe, Kane County
SB 2859 (P.A. 103-0631) - Prop Tx-Wastewater
SB 3279 (P.A. 103-0965) - IEMA-Groundwater-Local
SB 3414 (P.A. 103-0639) - Ins-Continuous Glucose Monitor
SB 3451 (P.A. 103-0640) - Rail Safety Recommendations
SB 3475 (P.A. 103-0642) - Hotel Tx-Deposits
SB 3476 (P.A. 103-0643) - Use/Occ Tx-Meals
SB 3538 (P.A. 103-1011) - Local First Responder Insurance
SB 3648 (P.A. 103-0645) - Community EMS Services & Support
SB 3649 (P.A. 103-0722) - Employee Freedom of Speech
ISACo 2024 Public Acts Report
ISACo publishes and updates a report of tracked bills enacted into law in 2024. The report is available by clicking on the image below and will be updated to include any legislation approved during the fall Veto Session (November 12-14 and 19-21) that are subsequently enacted into law.
*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 2024 State Mandates Report
Each year, ISACo publishes a report identifying newly enacted laws that impose state mandates on counties. Our 2024 State Mandates Report: New Mandates on Counties Enacted in 2024 is available by clicking on the image below.
Our previously published annual State Mandates Reports are available via this link.
Over $300 Million Returned to Residents in Fiscal Year 2024
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned a record $301 million to 321,558 Illinois residents through the state’s missing money program during Fiscal Year 2024.
Illinois’ missing money program — also known as I-CASH — is one of the state’s oldest consumer protection initiatives. The Illinois State Treasurer is tasked with safeguarding and returning unclaimed property, including the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes, unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. The Illinois State Treasurer is legally required to return unclaimed property to its owner or heirs, no matter how long it takes.
The press release is available via this link.
Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) to Receive Young Adult Transfers
On August 9, 2024, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 426 (P.A. 103-0875) into law, which grants the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) and Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) the ability to transfer eligible young adults who qualify for high school educational services from an IDOC facility to an IDJJ facility.
IDJJ operates School District #428 within the Department’s secure facilities, providing high school education for youth who are in the custody of IDJJ. According to Illinois Compiled Statutes (105 ILCS 5/13-40), IDJJ is also responsible for the education of young adults ages 21 or under within the Department of Corrections who have not yet earned a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
The press release is available via this link.
What We're Reading
Funding Local Roads in an Era of EVs and Shrinking Fuel Taxes (Governing)
Government EV Fleets are Expanding to Include Charging Infrastructure for Larger Vehicles (American City and County)
Minimum Wage Workers Need Two Jobs to Make Illinois Rent (Governing)
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:
- September 11, 2024, at 11 am CST
- October 10, 2024, at 2 pm CST
- October 22,2024, at 3 pm CST
Stay tuned for available links to the webinars.
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.
Building a Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: The Role of Rural Leaders and Behavioral Health Directors
(Thursday, August 22, 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.
Click on this link to register for the webinar.
How We Did It: Elevating Short Term Rental Compliance With Yates County, NY
(Thursday, August 22, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)
Struggling to recoup revenue from short-term rentals? You’re not alone. Short-term rentals on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo can generate significant amounts of tourism-related tax revenue. The tricky part? Identifying who owes what and prompting remittance. Join this webinar to learn best practices from Yates County, NY, which was able to collect $185k in back taxes in 6 months.
Key takeaways:
- How to identify what you’re owed through local and state legislation
- Why rental property addresses and owners are difficult to identify
- Best practices for rolling out a short-term rental compliance program
Click on this link to register for the webinar.
Empowering Counties With AI: A Holistic Approach
(Thursday, August 29, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)
Discover how to transform your county's operations through strategic AI implementation. This webinar will discuss the eight critical focus areas that will propel your government into the future—from crafting a robust AI strategy and fostering an AI-ready culture to ensuring proper governance and identifying the right technology infrastructure. Whether you've already begun your AI journey or just getting started, join us as we share the essential components of AI integration for county governments.
Click on this link to register for the webinar.
Growing The Early Care and Education Workforce Through Apprenticeships
(Thursday, September 5, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm CST)
Early care and education (ECE) providers are often called the workforce behind the workforce because access to childcare allows parents to work and further their education and training. However, the ECE field struggles with high rates of turnover and difficulty recruiting new workers because of low wages and poor benefits. Apprenticeships are one strategy to help the ECE workforce pursue additional education and credentials while being compensated and supporting during their learning. Join this webinar to hear how counties are utilizing apprenticeship programs to grow childcare supply and strengthen local economies.
Click on this link to register for the webinar.
Q3 Tech Xchange Focus Group: What Are You Doing to Create A Strong Data Governance For Your County?
(Friday, September 6, 2024, 11:00am-12:00pm CST)
Join NACo for a robust discussion that unpacks best practices in data governance. Do you know where your data "crown jewels" are located? Do you struggle with “Shadow IT”? Do you have a data asset inventory? How is your data preserved and secured against technology failures or cyber-crimes? Counties are comprised of individual departments, many with independent elected officials. Current data governance strategies need to account for data in all forms: on premise, cloud, storage providers (e.g. OneDrive, DropBox), collaboration platforms (e.g. Teams, Webex), email, non-digital (paper), removeable media, etc. A strong governance model will cover data from creation to coordinated and planned deletion. If time permits, the association between a strong governance policy and the effective management of right-to-know requests will be explored.
Click on this link to register for the webinar.
NACo Cyberattack Simulation: Financial Access
(Monday, Sept. 23 - Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm CST)
Financial transaction systems are prime targets for cyber threats due to the value and sensitivity of the data. This cyber simulation assesses risks and fortifies safeguards within financial access systems. The simulation involves breaches from unauthorized access to financial systems, often obtained through what seem to be legitimate contacts, but in reality are not. The simulation seeks to foster a comprehensive understanding of the complexities inherent in securing financial access to systems, enabling the development and testing of proactive strategies to mitigate cyber risks effectively. Insights derived from this simulation will empower institutions to fortify their cybersecurity posture, implement stringent controls, bolster incident response capabilities, and proactively defend against evolving cyber threats targeting financial infrastructure.
Click on this link to register for the webinar.
CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Over the past 85 years, focusing on customers and valuing people have helped Nationwide become one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world.
Even though Nationwide has dozens of affiliated companies, people are its biggest resource – and its greatest asset in providing excellent customer service to its customers. That’s why its Supply Management Services group makes sure agents and associates get the best quality products and services, at the best possible cost. It’s also why Nationwide has an Office of Customer Advocacy.
Click here to learn more about Nationwide.
Become an ISACo Member!
Is your county a member of ISACo? If not, why not?
ISACo is a statewide association whose mission is to empower county officials to provide excellent service to their residents.
ISACo member counties are comprised of forward-thinking public servants who recognize that the challenges confronting county governments require new and innovative ideas, collaborative solutions and collective advocacy at the state and federal levels of government.
Members of the association will benefit from education and training opportunities, peer-to-peer networking, shared resources and robust representation before policymakers at various levels of government. ISACo creates and connects county officials to these opportunities and successfully equips them to make counties ideal places to live, work and play.
If your county is interested in discussing membership in ISACo, please contact Member Services and Communication Manager Tiffani Homer at (217) 679-3368 or thomer@isacoil.org. ISACo member counties are listed here. Thank you for your consideration.