This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes a call to action in support of an increase in state-shared county revenues, shares a list of legislation relevant to counties approved last week, spotlights several other bills of interest to counties, reports on Governor JB Pritzker's plan for rolling back the state mask mandate, spotlights ISACo corporate partner UnitedHealthCare and invites counties to join ISACo.
Action Alert - Help ISACo Increase Revenues to Counties!
A key priority for ISACo's advocacy is legislation to increase the amount of state income tax dollars provided to local governments through the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF).
County officials are requested to contact their State Representatives and urge that they support HB 4169.
If your State Representatives are not currently co-sponsors of HB 4169, please request that they do so. Clicking on the link for the bill will reveal current sponsorship.
HB 4169 would increase the county and municipal share of LGDF to 8 percent of state income tax collections.
ISACo's Policy Brief about LGDF is available via this link.
Legislation Approved by Committees Last Week
The following ISACo-tracked bills passed out of House and Senate Committees last week (February 7-11). Each of these bills will next be considered by the full House or Senate. Please contact us at info@isacoil.org if your county would like to offer input on any of these bills. Both the House and Senate are in session this week.
SB 3187 - Counties Code-Recorder Stamp (Support)
Approved by Senate Local Government Committee
SB 3600 - Additional Associate Judges-5th Circuit (No Position)
Approved by Senate Executive Committee
SB 3633 - Local Government Demolition Documentation (Under Review)
Approved by Senate Environment and Conservation Committee
SB 3651 - IMRF Contributions (No Position)
Approved by Senate Pensions Committee
SB 3652 - IMRF-Early Retirement (No Position)
Approved by Senate Pensions Committee
SB 3658 - County Motor Fuel Tax Law (No Position)
Approved by Senate Revenue Committee
SB 3683 - Broadband Access Act (No Position)
Approved by Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee
SB 3685 - Property Tax Hearings and Training (No Position)
Approved by Senate Revenue Committee
SB 3695 - FOIA - Medical Records (No Position)
Approved by Senate Executive Committee
SB 3737 - County Judicial Facilities Fee (Support)
Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee
SB 3789 - Decennial Committees on Local Government Consolidation and Efficiency Act (No Position)
Approved by Senate Executive Committee
SB 3795 - County Design-Build Authorization Act (Support)
Approved by Senate Local Government Committee
SB 3894 - Property Tax Assessments (Under Review)
Approved by Senate Revenue Committee
SB 3895 - Property Tax - Reduced Assessed Value (Under Review)
Approved by Senate Revenue Committee
County Legislation Spotlight
ISACo will frequently highlight legislation of interest to counties. This week's highlighted bills are below. In some cases, ISACo has a position. In other cases, ISACo does not have a position or the position has not yet been determined. ISACo's positions on legislation are informed by our County Platform and member input. Please contact us at info@isacoil.org if your county would like to offer input on any of these bills.
HB 4452 - County Wind Energy Regulations (Oppose)
HB 4776 - Property Tax Abatements (Support)
HB 5120 - Personal Property Tax Distribution (Oppose)
SB 3204 - Local Governments Recapturing Lost Revenues (Support)
SB 3964 - Election Authority Vote Centers (No Position)
Governor Pritzker Announces Plan to Lift Statewide Indoor Mask Mandate
On February 9, Governor JB Pritzker announced that statewide COVID-19 hospitalization rates are rapidly declining and Illinois is on track to lift the statewide indoor mask mandate on Monday, February 28, 2022.
Mask requirements will continue where federally mandated, such as on public transit and in high-risk settings including healthcare facilities and congregate care. Masking requirements will also continue to apply in all daycare settings. The state intends to continue masking requirements in P-12 schools subject to pending litigation which impacts a number of schools.
Click on this link to view the official press release for additional information.
Corporate Partner Spotlight
UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement, an operating unit of UnitedHealth Group, is dedicated to providing innovative health and well-being solutions that help Medicare beneficiaries live healthier and more secure lives.
With 12 million members enrolled in individual plans and nearly 1.5 million in employer-sponsored group plans (Retiree Solutions), UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement is the largest business dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries. UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement manages a full array of products and services including Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare supplement plans, Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, employer retiree health services and programs designed to support chronic condition management and care coordination. Many of our products carry the AARP name.
Our products, services, and programs are designed to meet the individual needs of our members as well as their families, physicians, and communities.
The portfolio of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement products includes:
Medicare Advantage Plans
UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement is the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurance plan, serving more than 4.9 million members through a variety of plans and services.
Medicare Part D Plans
UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement is the nation’s largest Medicare Part D prescription drug insurer, serving more than 9 million members throughout the United States and its territories. Our Medicare Part D plans cover thousands of brand-name and generic prescription drugs that are most commonly used by people on Medicare, delivering savings, stability and peace of mind to our customers.
AARP Medicare Supplement
UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement operates the nation’s largest Medicare supplement business, serving more than 4.5 million members. Medicare supplement insurance plans are sold by private insurance companies to fill gaps in Medicare Parts A and B coverage. There are multiple plans available, giving members the ability to choose a plan which best fits their needs and the freedom to go to any doctor or hospital that participates in Medicare. Generally, with a Medicare supplement plan, there are limited out-of-pocket costs, so members have more predictable health care expenses.
Retiree Solutions
UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement leverages cost-effective health care delivery systems and superior networks to provide optimal health outcomes and cost savings for employers and their retirees. Group plans include Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplement and Medicare Part D. We also offer a Connector Model solution for employers looking to transition their members from traditional group-sponsored plans to individual retiree products.
Additional information about the UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage (MA) PPO health insurance plan is available here.
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.