This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter reports on what occurred during the General Assembly's one-day special session earlier this week, includes a list of new public acts relevant to counties, shares information about vaccine requirements for individuals in high-risk settings and the reinstated statewide indoor mask mandate, announces upcoming National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar opportunities, spotlights ISACo corporate partner AT&T and invites counties to join ISACo.

Special Session Day Focuses on Remap, Clean Energy, and Ethics Legislation

The Illinois House and Senate convened for a one-day special session on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. 

Both chambers approved new state legislative maps necessitated following the release of federal census data in August. The previous maps approved and enacted into law utilized American Community Survey (ACS) estimates that were not as precise as the federal census data released in August. The legislation is SB 927 (President Harmon, D-Oak Park/Rep. Hernandez, D-Cicero). Republican legislators opposed the maps, which passed both chambers with partisan roll calls. The Governor is expected to enact the new state legislative maps into law.

In other action, the Senate approved clean energy legislation but the issue remains unresolved. SB 18 (President Harmon, D-Oak Park) was approved 39-16-2, but lacks sufficient support for passage in the House and will require further negotiation. A key sticking point concerns a disagreement between Governor Pritzker and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) over a hard closure date for two coal-fired power plants. The Governor, backed by the environmental lobby, wants a hard date by which the plants must close. The Senate President, supported by organized labor, has opposed a hard closure date for the facilities.

Proponents of the clean energy bill will continue to explore possible solutions to resolve the differences between the parties. House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch indicated that his chamber would not advance a bill unless it is agreed upon by stakeholders.

ISACo does not have a position on the clean energy bill but continues to review emerging amendments to ensure they do not include provisions restricting local siting authority over wind and solar facilities. 

The General Assembly took up the matter of Governor Pritzker's Amendatory Veto (AV) of an ethics reform bill (amendatory veto message available here). The AV of SB 539 (Sen. Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights/Rep. Burke, D-Evergreen Park) was accepted in the Senate on a vote of 58-0 but fell short of the necessary supermajority vote in the House in part because several Democrats were not in attendance. The House will be able to reconsider acceptance of the AV if members return to session within the next two weeks.

New Public Acts Relevant to Counties Signed into Law by the Governor

House Bills

HB 270 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Ways (P.A. 102-0660)

HB 2412 - Notices - Minority Groups (P.A. 102-0592)

HB 2521 - Selecting Labor Organizations (P.A. 102-0596)

HB 2589 - Substance Use Disorder - Opioids (P.A. 102-0598)

HB 2806 - Local Volunteer Board Member Removal Act (P.A. 102-0602)

HB 3174 - High Impact Business - Wind (P.A. 102-0605)

HB 3277 - Juvenile Court - Court Appointed Special Advocate (P.A. 102-0607)

HB 3355 - Opioid Dependence Information (P.A. 102-0608)

HB 3739 - Lead Service Line Mitigation (P.A. 102-0613 - ISACo Policy Brief)

HB 3886 - Juvenile Court - Media Access to Minor (P.A. 102-0615)

HB 3956 - Circuit Court Clerk - Document Preparation (P.A. 102-0619)

Senate Bills

SB 626 - Judicial District Changes (P.A. 102-0620)

SB 693 - EMS Systems - Transport (P.A. 102-0623)

SB 1697 - GATA Exemptions for Local Governments (P.A. 102-0626)

SB 2007 - Food-Handling - Cottage Food (P.A. 102-0633)

SB 2136 - Expungement of Felony Prostitution Records (P.A. 102-0639)

SB 2137 - Nursing Homes - Social Isolation Prevention Policies (P.A. 102-0640)

SB 2153 - Hospital Written Staffing Corrections (P.A. 102-0641)

SB 2244 - Property Tax - Senior Freeze Income Limitation (P.A. 102-0644)

SB 2265 - Nursing Homes - Drug Treatment (P.A. 102-0646)

SB 2270 - Nursing Homes - Behavior Management (P.A. 102-0647)

SB 2290 - Illinois Broadband Adoption Fund Act (P.A. 102-0648)

SB 2323 - DCFS - Prohibits Use of Restraints (P.A 102-0649)

SB 2356 - Open Meetings - Review of Session Minutes (P.A. 102-0653)

SB 2370 - Detention - DCFS Ward (P.A. 102-0654)

SB 2520 - State's Attorney Conflict (P.A. 102-0657)

ISACo's updated Bills Approved by Both Chambers report is available via this link.

Governor Pritzker Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements and Indoor Mask Mandate

On August 26, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced vaccination requirements for individuals in high-risk settings. All healthcare workers, including nursing home employees, all pre-k-12 teachers, and staff, as well as higher education personnel and students, are now required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  Employees in all these settings and higher education students who are unable or unwilling to receive the vaccine will be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once per week, and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) may require increased testing in certain situations.

The Governor and Dr. Ezike also announced a statewide indoor mask mandate for all Illinois residents, regardless of vaccination status. The mask order became effective on Monday, August 30, 2021.

Click on this link to view the full press release 

Upcoming NACo Webinars

NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar opportunities:

COVID-19 Vaccines & Boosters: Strategies for Developing Dynamic County Distribution Plans

(Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 1:00-2:00pm CST)

COVID-19 booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved for individuals who are immunocompromised, with the Biden Administration preparing to administer booster shots to the broader population beginning September 20. Counties, which have supported over 150 million adult vaccinations in the United States, will have an indispensable role in the ongoing administration of COVID-19 vaccines and now the administration of boosters. Join the National Association of Counties (NACo) for an educational webinar on the importance of After Action Reports and how to leverage them to strategically and equitably plan for this next phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Click on this link to register for this event.

Disaster Planning & Mitigation: Utilizing FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program

(Thursday, September 9, 2021, 1:00-2:00pm CST)

Join NACo for an educational webinar on how using the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program can help your county plan for and mitigate disasters. 

Click on this link to register for this event.

Make the Most of Your NACo Membership

(Thursday, September 9, 2021, 1:00-2:00pm CST)

Join NACo for an interactive webinar to learn how to maximize your county’s membership investment and NACo's ARPA resources, cost-saving solutions and committee involvement.

Click on this link to register for this event.

A Practical Path to MFA - How to Secure Every Single Account, One Step at a Time

(Thursday, September 9, 2021, 1:00-2:00pm CST)

Although multi-factor authentication (MFA) is at the top of the NACo cybersecurity priorities and best practices list, many counties find that MFA implementation is not straightforward. MFA can be an overwhelming project, especially with limited resources. There is a lot to consider, including selecting the right authentication methods to keep your county secure, while making sure employees, suppliers and citizens will use them.  

Join this live webinar for a practical discussion on the path to go from passwords to MFA on every single account. The panel will discuss:  

• How to assess your current strategy and create an implementation plan 
• Why stronger password controls may be a good starting point 
• Why a communication strategy is essential to help with user adoption 
• How to reduce time, costs and workload during implementation

Whether you’re just starting to think about MFA or have already started implementation, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss.  

Click on this link to register for this event.

Corporate Sponsor Spotlight

 

This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with AT&T.

AT&T Inc. is a modern media company whose mission is to inspire human progress through the power of communication and entertainment.

The company brings together premium video content, a large base of direct-to-consumer relationships, high-speed networks optimized for video and advertising technology to lead the next revolution in technology, media and telecommunications.

More information about the services provided by AT&T 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!