This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter reports on cancelled session days for the Illinois House of Representatives, provides key dates for the 2022 spring legislative session, includes a link with more information about ISACo's 2022 Legislative Agenda, reminds county officials and staff about the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference being held in February along with a virtual attendance option, announces several upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, spotlights ISACo corporate sponsor Christopher B. Burke Engineering and invites counties to join ISACo.

House Cancels More Session Days

The Illinois House of Representatives cancelled session days scheduled for January 25-27 and is scheduled to convene again on Tuesday, February 1. This is the date the Illinois Senate had already scheduled for its return. 

Key Legislative Session Dates 

House Bill Introduction Deadline - January 28 (Senate Deadline Passed)

Governor's State of the State/Budget Address - February 2

Senate Bills Out of Senate Committees Deadline - February 10

House Bills Out of House Committees Deadline - February 18

Senate Third Reading Deadline for Senate Bills - February 25

House Third Reading Deadline for House Bills - March 4

House Committee Deadline for Senate Bills - March 25

Senate Committee Deadline for House Bills - March 25

Senate Third Reading Deadline for House Bills - April 1

House Third Reading Deadline for Senate Bills - April 1

House and Senate Scheduled Adjournment - April 8

ISACo 2022 Legislative Agenda

ISACo's 2022 Legislative Agenda, also known as our Illinois County Action Program (ICAP), is available via this link. Bill numbers are available for two of the agenda items and the remaining issues will receive bill numbers in the coming days. Position Statements explaining each proposal are available and county officials and staff are encouraged to share these Position Statements with their legislators. 

Registration Open for NACo's 2022 Legislative Conference

The 2022 NACo Legislative Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from February 12-16. The Conference brings together nearly 2,000 elected and appointed county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and their residents. Attendees have the opportunity to engage in second-to-none policy and educational sessions, interact with federal officials and participate in congressional briefings and meetings.  

Washington, D.C. issued a COVID vaccination mandate for all patrons entering indoor facilities, including conference venues. Per the D.C. requirement, all NACo Legislative Conference attendees must show proof of vaccination to enter meeting spaces, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gyms and other facilities included in the order. You can learn more at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaxdc.

NACo is making a virtual attendance option possible. Additional information about the virtual option is available upon reviewing the registration information.

Registration information is available via this link.

Click on this link to register for this event. 

NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar opportunities:

Connecting With NACo's Next Generation Network

(Monday, January 24, 2022, 12:00-1:00pm CST)

Are you new to NACo, newly elected, or interested in connecting with other county officials to network, learn from and share challenges and wins? Join NACo Past President Commissioner Chris Rodgers of Douglas County and NACo’s Next Generation Network officers for a webinar on how the Next Generation Network, a grassroots forum created by Commissioner Rodgers, is developing the next generation of county leaders. From service projects, leadership development education, scholarships and more, the Next Generation Network has resources for newly elected officials and mentors alike.

Click on this link to register for this event.

NACo's Information Session Series on U.S. Treasury's Final Rule for the ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund: Negative Economic Impacts & Supportive Services

(Monday, January 24, 2022, 1:30-2:30pm CST)

On January 6, the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) released the Final Rule for the $65.1 billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund). Under the Final Rule, counties have broad flexibility to invest in supportive services for households and communities experiencing negative economic impacts from the pandemic. Join NACo for the third in a series of information sessions where we will walk through key features in Treasury’s Final Rule for the Recovery Fund and how counties can effectively invest these dollars at the local level.

Click on this link to register for this event.

Advanced Security Resource Available for Local Government Through the Center for Internet Security

(Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 12:00-1:00pm CST)

Start the new year off right by learning about two of these offerings, both of which protect networks against malware and ransomware attacks, phishing attempts and other efforts to disrupt our systems. The Malicious Domain Blocking and Reporting (MDBR) service is offered at no cost to all local governmental organizations, in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Akamai.  A second offering, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) offers device-level protection and response against cybersecurity threats and malicious traffic, and is also federally-funded for all election-related computers and systems. Find out more about easily adding layers of security to your networks and devices.

Click on this link to register for this event.

Safety and Justice Deserve Better Data: Justice Counts National Launch

(Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 1:00-2:00pm CST)

This is an external webinar hosted by the Council of State Governments Justice Center. For technical assistance, please contact the webinar organizers. 

Policymakers are often forced to make critical decisions about the safety of their constituents using limited or stale criminal justice data. But access to clean, updated data is essential to charting a path to safer, more equitable communities. The Justice Counts National Launch event will explore the significant shortcomings of data in the criminal justice system and introduce a bold solution comprising an unprecedented coalition of partners committed to creating a stronger information infrastructure for the justice system: Justice Counts.

Justice Counts is a consensus-building initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance led by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and comprised of 21 partner organizations. The initiative aims to help criminal justice policymakers across the country make better decisions with data that’s more timely, less disjointed, and as useful as possible.

Click on this link to register for this event.

How Counties Are Transforming Human Services Delivery Systems

(Friday, January 28, 11:30am-12:30pm CST)

County leaders are transforming their human services delivery system by applying forward thinking, innovative approaches that shift the focus from program compliance to positive, whole family outcomes. Human services transformation is a key solution for improving the customer experience and helping families navigate and access critical services and supports. Counties can use strategies for advancing cross-system collaboration to promote career pathways, social and economic mobility, and improved well-being for residents. Learn how your county can transform its human services delivery system to improve the lives of residents and communities.

Click on this link to register for this event.

CORPORATE SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with Christopher B. Burke Engineering.

Started in 1986, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD. is a full-service consulting engineering and surveying firm specializing in civil, transportation/highway, municipal, traffic, water resources, environmental, structural and mechanical engineering. The company provides not only design services, but also planning, preliminary engineering, permitting, and construction observation. Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD. successfully completed the design, permitting and construction of numerous major transportation projects, flood control reservoirs, pump stations, embankments, water mains and water systems, storm sewers, and large open channels. 

More information about the services provided by Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LTD. 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!