This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter provides information about the release of U.S. Treasury's Final Rule for the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund, shares the Peremptory Rule filed by the the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) to effectuate the Federal OSHA employer vaccine mandate, includes an ISACo resource providing an overview of the new public act that makes changes to the criminal justice and law enforcement reform law, announces an extension to the State's disaster declaration, spotlights ISACo corporate partner Nationwide and invites counties to join ISACo.
Final Rule Released for State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund
On January 6, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) released the Final Rule for the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund), which was authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act and allocated $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America. The Final Rule will go into effect on April 1, 2022.
Treasury is hosting webinars to brief and answer questions about the Final Rule. If Treasury reaches RSVP capacity and you cannot attend a webinar or prefer to be briefed at your convenience, Treasury will post a recording of the webinar hosted on January 7. Information and a registration link for the final webinar are available below.
SLFRF Final Rule Non-Tribal Recipient Briefing
(Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 12:00pm CST)
Click on this link to register for this event.
Click on this link to visit ISACo's "News Detail" webpage for additional information and resources on the Final Rule.
NACo has made a recording of its January 10, 2022, National membership call available that can be viewed via this link.
IDOL Update Regarding OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard
On January 7, 2022, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) filed Peremptory Rules to adopt the Federal OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), as required by federal regulation and state statute. ISACo last provided an update on the ETS in our January 6, 2022, News and Views e-newsletter.
The Rules filed by IDOL on January 7 incorporate the federal rule by reference. These Rules are effective immediately but give employers under the jurisdiction of Illinois OSHA until January 24 to begin to come into compliance with the requirements of the ETS by developing a workplace policy regarding vaccination and testing in accordance with the ETS.
The United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is expected to issue a ruling on the permissibility of the federal vaccine mandate soon.
Overview of Criminal Justice Reform Trailer Bill
As reported in our January 6, 2022, News and Views e-newsletter, Governor Pritzker enacted a criminal justice and law enforcement reform trailer bill into law. The new law, P.A. 102-0694, includes an effective date of January 1, 2022, but was signed into law on January 7, 2022. ISACo has prepared a resource about the provisions within the new law in a manner that provides an easier way to navigate the 176-page bill. Click on the image below to access this resource.
Disaster Declaration Extended
On January 7, 2022, Governor JB Pritzker signed a new Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation that extends the state's disaster declaration through February 6, 2022. The Governor also issued Executive Order (EO) 2022-1. This EO re-issues several previous EOs.
Per P.A. 101-0640 (available via this link), remote meetings remain a permissible option for local governments as long as certain criteria are met. Additional information about this authority is available via this link.
Corporate Partner Spotlight
This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with Nationwide.
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.
More information about the services provided by Nationwide 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!
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 Executive Director Joe McCoy at (217) 679-3368 or jmccoy@isacoil.org. ISACo member counties are listed here. Thank you for your consideration.